His Winter Solstice-Rewritten
by TheRabidWriter
Summary: "Maybe it's a second chance for you? Life decided that you deserved a second chance." "Monster's don't deserve second chances, Cheri." If waking up in a different time period wasn't bad enough for Erik, he woke up right when a group of high-school students decided to ransack his home. But one of them seem's oddly familiar..and he doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. Erik/OC
1. Awakening

**A/N: Hello everyone!**_  
_

**So, I was re-reading my story His Winter Solstice, and realized there is a lot I want to edit, fix, change, and re-arrange. But, I wasn't sure if I would have the time to write it, considering school and everything. Yet that inner-author in me is nagging at me to re-write it.  
**

**So I am.  
**

**I'm not expecting this story to get as many reviews as HWS actually did, considering how long it's been and how most people probably are sick of it. If anyone does decide to stick around and read it, I will say this:  
**

**This will be much different from the original version. If you want to read that one you can, but they will be very different. Same plot, same characters, new approach.  
**

**Since it took me a year and a half to write the original, I guarantee this story will be much longer, much much longer...  
**

**So, without further introduction, here it is.  
**

* * *

**Chapter One: A Trip  
**

* * *

_Well she lives in a fairytale  
_

_Somewhere too far for us too find  
_

_Forgotten the taste and smell  
_

_Of a world that she's left behind  
_

My foot tapped against the floor of the carriage as I stared out to the streets of Paris. Lucky for us, we had managed to get a carriage with a roof over it's head, so the snowfall would not be an issue. Rubbing my hands together, the worn-out fingerless gloves creating heated friction, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my iPod. Scrolling with my thumb, I smiled and turned the volume up a little.

Sure, socializing would be the ideal since I am friends with most of these people. Looking to my right as I saw four familiar faces, two causing my to frown slightly, I realized I was probably being wicked rude. But then again, the only reason I came on this trip was to get away from the boring small-town life, and to maybe meet some new friends. Potential Pen-Pals.

Another reason this trip seemed like such a good idea was I'd be able to get closer to people I wanted to, and to separate from people I needed to forget. Leaving behind old and bad memories, while keeping the essential and good ones with me. Carrying my music around helped with that, and maybe that's why I preferred the music over talking at the moment.

A tap on my shoulder forced me to withdraw my headphones from my head. Letting them sit around my neck, I turned to face Halle.

"Are you okay? Home-sick? Carriage sick? It's like car sick but in a carriage." Halle asked worriedly, and reached for her small bag. "I have stuff that I take when I get Anxiety Aches, if you want some."

"No Halle, I'm fine." I smiled at my best friend and laughed a little. She was the most adorable teenage girl I ever knew. The kind that apologizes for everything, even if it isn't her fault at all. The girl that puts eyelashes on her car headlights and name's it Velma. We were total opposite's, but had some similarities which helped mend the broken thread between us. She was a very beautiful girl, with long blonde hair that nearly reached the middle of her back. Her eyes were a simple bright blue and she was extremely shy.

Sure, I wasn't a social butterfly all the time, but I wasn't afraid to speak my mind. I used to consider myself her rock, but Halle was my rock too.

Another head leaned over to join in the conversation, and the face of Jon grinned at the two of us, mostly Halle though.

"Since when do you get Anxiety Aches?" He teased Halle, in the kindest way possible. But to be real, Jon was the nicest person you could ever meet. He was always a gentleman to whoever he met, and I swear I had never heard him..well..swear. Jon was you typical nice guy. Neatly combed black hair, glasses, dressed nice and casual. With a voice that made the God's cry.

His take on Javert in Les Miserables was a phenomenal one, and made me cry several times. Of course I knew he died but the way he did his soliloquy! Oh, heartbreaking. So. Heartbreaking.

"It isn't my fault...they just happen.." Halle whispered, and pulled her jacket around her body tighter. I pat her back gently, and watched as Jon's hand slipped closer near hers. I hid my smirk, but Jon made a face to me as if to say 'Yes?' I shrugged and looked back at the window, about to put my headphones back on when I heard this.

"Are you still plugged in back there? I mean, we're all friends here don't try to single yourself out." I gritted my teeth and instead of shouting, I just folded up my headphones and turned back. Sitting across from me, Jon, and Halle were two people I do not have the pleasure of describing to you.

"Well, Brie, I'm in one of those moods where I just prefer being silent and listening to music, kay?" I said kindly, hiding any hint of detest. Brie just shrugged and started to play with her hair. Twirling her fingers in the long curly black locks, slowly as if to try and have everyone's eyes focus on those strands of hair. When it comes to people like Brie, I can say I don't hate them for any reason but fake-ness. If that makes sense.

You know those people who you know don't like you, for some unknown or maybe known reason, that tolerate you? Sometimes to the point of overly fake and polite?

This was Brie.

We barley talked to each other when we were younger, but in eighth grade we happened to clash when some boy drama came. This first, and last, time I had a boyfriend, he managed to also want to date her. I let her have him, because who wants a boyfriend who doesn't even want to admit to liking you?

Not me.

So Brie, felt like she had won and had nothing left to say to me, except for the occasional, 'So me and _ are hanging out today.'

Oh go gag a maggot doll-face.

Halle thinks it's a jealousy thing, the fact that we both grew up dancers at rival studios, and freshman year started taking voice lessons from the same teacher coincidentally. That, according to Halle, she was "threatened" by me, fearing I'd beat her out to a better part or something along those lines. So, I stay under the radar. Brow-nosing is not my thing.

"I can always tell when you're listening to music, I mean come on, it's always up so loud." Lexi chimed in, grinning as she texted one of many boy-toy's.

I kid you not, people like her exists.

We used to be best friends, once again, in eighth grade. She brought me out of a dark place, and I don't think she didn't want to be friends anymore. But something "better" came along and popularity was what she wanted. Drinking with the "cool" kids, and all that jazz. Hell, she even hooked up with a guy she knew I liked and ended up breaking his heart he next day. What's he do?

He goes back to her.

Yeah.

So, my feelings for this short-hair brunette with the 'Bella' eyes? Very, very, bland. I couldn't care less anymore.

"Because I like it that way. Loud and clear." I said, making an 'ah' sound after my 'r'.

"Hey Aleixa?" Jon asked.

"Yessir'?"

"You were hoping we'd be visiting a certain Opera House right?" I nearly dropped my iPod before I managed to shove it in my back pocket and scramble across Jon and Halle's lap. The two leaned back to let me look out the window, and I let out a screech of pure excitement.

"What the hell was that for?" Lexi asked, staring at me with a semi weirded-out look. I ignored her snotty comment and grabbed my backpack, throwing open the carriage door and hopping out onto the pavement. Jon and Halle managed to follow suite, and stood beside me as I stared up at the Palais Garnier.

The Opera House.

The one where the so-called legend of the Phantom of The Opera took place.

* * *

"Just one more picture!"

Normally I would groan quietly when Halle said that sentence but right now my heart was flip-flopping as I stood outside the Opera House with Jon, posing for the twentieth picture. Halle liked scrap-booking and would take pictures whenever she wanted.

"Should we take the tour, or go on our own?" Jon asked, and Brie and Lexi stood aside shrugging. Neither seemed exactly excited to be here, but then again I didn't expect them to be.

"Doesn't matter, just as long as we go inside." Lexi said, shivering. "I'm fucking freezing."

"Me too!" Brie whined, looking over at Lexi with a 'I feel you' look on her face. The two shared a small huddle of their own, complaining together about the cold.

"We don't need a tour guide! We have Aleixa!" Halle said, motioning to me with both hands and a smile. I bowed and my headphones nearly fell off from around my neck.

"Ladies, and Jon, "I said, turning my volume all the way up before clicking 'Overture' from my POTO album, "Shall we venture into the very home of Le Fantome?"

"Yes."

"Yeah!"

"Can we go inside now?" I gladly opened the door and stepped inside, immediately taken back by the interior design as the song began. This looked so much different from the fiction Opera Populaire from the Andrew Llyodd Webber movie. The staircase, for one thing, was enormous. It was wider than one could imagine and trailed upward before separating in three ways. Forward, right, and left. Each going up to the next floor. At the top of the stairs was another flat floor, which led straight to another room. It felt right to see this beautifully crafted Opera House up close and personal while it played. It felt natural to me. A feeling of being at home hit me, and I closed my eyes for a minute. Something about being here felt perfect. I felt...perfect.

"Ready to give us a grand tour?" Jon asked, and I turned to face the group. Adjusting my gloves and pulling my hair down a bit so it was tilted, I stood up tall.

"As you can see, we are standing in the main lobby, where many grand events took place such as the Masquerade." I said, as the four trailed behind me. We waited for the real tour group to walk away before we headed into the auditorium.

"Probably. Or they didn't want to be here during the tours." I said quietly, and started for the stage. "C'mon." I motioned for the group to follow. As I got closer to the stage, I felt as though I was light-headed. My breathing grew shorter and my heart pounded, soon that was all I could hear was my pounding heart. There was a roman-like set behind in the backdrop, but no set pieces. The piano sat alone in the orchestra pit. So lonely. I placed my hand against the stage and dragged it along as I rounded it's side, until I found a way backstage.

"Where are we going?" I heard Brie ask from behind me, and I looked back at her for a moment.

"On stage, of course."

"What if we get caught?" Lexi decided to ask, and once again I remained calm.

"We try not to." I replied simply and walked backstage. It was so bare, and I came to realize that this Opera House looked only slightly like the one from the Musical or Movie. This one was far more...intriquite. Realistic. Although the differences were huge I could still get the strong feeling that this was where the Phantom's story played out. I stepped on stage, and was blinded by the bright lights of the chandelier. It hung from the ceiling like an angel hovering over the people, shining like a star.

"Holy shit..." I whispered under my breathe and smiled out at the empty seats. My eyes trailed up to Box 5, and I felt my heart do a whiz-bang, flip-flop, heaven, for a minute. Footsteps followed me out onto the stage, and Jon soon was grinning at the sight.

"Woah, look at all this." He said in amazement, touching the curtains, "This is a real stage."

"It's so damn big." Brie mumbled and kneeled down, looking into the orchestra pit.

"Look at that piano!" Halle said, and squealed as she started taking pictures willy-nilly. Lexi said something to me, but I was too busy staring off at Box 5 to really listen. Not like I would have cared anyways. My heart suddenly tingled and I opened my mouth a little bit.

_Serafimo-away with this pretence.._

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me, and I saw Jon snigger a bit before running off stage. Halle climbed her way down and made her way to the piano. Brie and Lexi stood by, baffled at what the hell was going on. I cleared my throat and looked over at Halle, who pressed the keys lightly.

"I'm not even trying to do an accent."

"No offense but your Spanish accent is awful..."

"Thanks, Halle."

_You cannot speak-_

_But kiss me in my husbands absence!  
_

_Poor fool he makes me laugh-  
_

_Hahahaha!  
_

_Time I tried to get a better half!  
_

_Poor fool he doesn't know!  
_

_Hohohohoho!  
_

_If he knew the truth he'd never, ever go!  
_

Jon started singing along with me in his voice, coming on stage slowly as Brie stared at him in confusion.

"What is this? A sing-a-long."

"If you know the words." Jon replied, and then grinned, "Do you know any Phantom?"

"Isn't that a dark musical? Kinda gothic..." Lexi mumbled and I whipped my head around to face her.

"What? No!" I excitedly pulled out my iPod and clicked Music of The Night. "This musical, is all about love and sacrifice. About how cruel society can be to anything they find to be different. The Phantom falls in love with a Swedish soprano and she has to choose between him and a rich suitor."

"So? It's a romance."

"One of the best! Whenever I watch the scene where he approaches Christine through her mirror for the first time I-"

"Woah woah! He looks at her from her own mirror?" Lexi asked.

"Well...Yeah. He built the Opera House, he's a musician, architect, magician, ventriloquist. He's everything."

"That's creepy." Brie said sort of disgusted, "Like, no offense but that isn't romantic." I rolled my eyes and turned my music off, letting my headphones hang around my neck once more.

"Whatever." I sighed, and looked up at the chandelier. "I'm just so astounded to be on the real stage where it really happened."

"It's just a show, Aleixa." Lexi said and started to laugh as if I were making some joke.

"Actually, Gaston Leroux, the author of the book Phantom of The Opera, say's that Erik did, in fact, exsist." Jon said, backing me up as he helped Halle back on stage. "So, there is reason to believe he actually lived here."

"Didn't Kelley say that's why her friend bought the place?" Halle asked, and Jon nodded.

"Her friend, I don't exactly remember his name, had always loved the story and when he found they needed someone to buy the place and fix it up, he accepted. Four years later, and look at it. It's back to it's original glory." Jon smiled and looked back at us. Brie and Lexi shared skeptical glances with each other before shrugging in sync.

"Hey," Brie said, stepping closer with her arms folded over her chest, "Since you know so much about this Musical-"

"She's obsessed actually." Halle mentioned.

"Whatever. As I was saying," Brie said before giving Halle a rude glance, "You should be able to take us down to the Phantom's lair. I wanna see it."

"I don't know.."

"Prove to me it's real." She said with a skeptical smirk. "C'mon, you always know everything." She said, using air-quotes. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, looking over at Jon and Halle. Both were shaking their head's and making motions for me to decline.

"Unless you're just full of horseshit and want to admit your little Phantom fantasy is also horseshit." Brie said, and Lexi stepped forward.

"Brie just don't-"

"Alright fine." I growled, and pushed her aside walking towards backstage.

"Aleixa wait you don't need to do this, it's stupid." Jon said, running up next to me, trying to keep up with my angry fast pace. I ignored him and Halle soon followed, while Brie walked behind with a confident smirk on her face. Lexi whispered to Brie, who kept whisper-shouting 'Shut-up' to her. "You can get arrested for breaking the rules."

I hopped over the 'Do Not Cross' tape and ignored him once more, making my way down the Grand Foyer. Soon we were near all the dressing rooms, construction tarps and paint cans all around. Carefully stepping through them, I looked around at all the open dressing rooms and stopped in my tracks.

"Which one is it, dammit?"

"Hey Aleixa, look." Halle said and pointed to a portrait inside on of the dressing rooms. It was a profile of a young woman, her bright blonde hair in a fancy up-do, with beautiful hair-pieces entwined into it . I stepped inside and stared in awe at the picture, astounded by the woman's beauty.

"This is it. She's Christine." I said, and walked in the room. Before Brie could question me we heard voices from down the hallway.

"I saw them go this way." It was a man's voice.

Security.

_"_Shit, what do we do?" Lexi whispered, and I stood, frozen for a minute. I could hear something, it sounded like..organ music. Walking towards where I could hear it, I pressed my ear against the mirror, before pushing against it. To my surprise, it opened easily.

"In here." I said, motioning to the group. Halle stared at the open mirror in shock but didn't contemplate walking in. Brie and Lexi stood back, seeming disgusted by the dust and cobwebs.

"Unless you two wanna get arrested, I suggest stepping in here." Jon said, and the two shared grossed-out glances before stepping in. I shut the mirror, and stood next to. Enveloped in darkness, we stood silent. Voices talked inside the room, before they disappeared, leaving us standing there. Turning to look down the hall, I pulled out my iPod and lit it up. Barley helping, we saw a long tunnel ahead of us.

"Now what?" Jon asked me, and I pointed forward.

"His lair is this way." I whispered and turned back to the mirror. "This is proof enough he existed, we don't need to go any further." Before I could push on the mirror, Brie blocked my way.

"Oh no. We're going down to that stupid lair. Unless you know it's all crap and this is just old. Besides," She said, brushing past me and walking ahead, "He'd be dead anyways. It's been like, a hundred years right? So we could easily find an exit." Pulling out her old phone, she started down the tunnel as everyone pulled out their phones. I stood by the sealed exit sighing, running a hand through my hair.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." I murmured before running after the group. "Wait up!"

* * *

_You are not alone...  
_

__He heard her voice say, causing his eyes to snap open. All he was looking at was the ceiling, the same ceiling he had lived under for so long. It was silent. Much quieter than usual. Where was the mob? He remembered them approaching the gate, and he had smashed the mirrors to reveal a secret exit. What happened to Christine?

"Christine." He sat up, and put a hand to his head. It throbbed painfully as he looked around. Shards of broken mirrors still sat about on the floor, rose petals scattered on the cobble. The wat was silent as it sat in the lake by the stone floor. His organ sat covered in dust.

Everything seemed so old...worn out.

How long had he been sleeping?

Standing shakily, he made his way to his beloved organ and pressed the keys. The sound was still as powerful as ever, and he gently played a few more keys.

"_Wait up!" _He snapped his head towards the ceiling, a voice echoing through it. It sounded like...

"Christine?" A smile tugged at his lips and he immediately rushed towards the gate. Was she returning to him? Did she fend off the mob from killing him, and decide to stay with him instead? To love him? Before he entered the water, he stopped and walked around, looking for his coat and other necessities.

Soon dressed in his normal attire, he slowly placed the eggshell mask on his face and sighed. Just as he was about to climb in his gondola, he heard more voices coming from upstairs. More people? Intruders? Frowning, he grabbed his punjab and kept it in his belt loop, walking towards another secret exit to go find these perpetrators.

And his heart ached, hoping it would be her.

His Angel of Music had returned to him.

* * *

**Yay, chapter one is done.**

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism? R/R please!  
**


	2. Your Voice

**A/N:Hiya! So this story is already doing really good and I'm very happy about that haha. I was worried the old fans of the story would hate this but from what i've read so far they don't! I hope more people decide to read it, so I can also have some new readers/friends.  
**

**Time for the Thank You's:  
**

**Thank's to EriksAngelForever, SurvivingTheDreams, and xJillPhantom for favoriting and following! Thanks to Elizabeth Scarlette and Silver Moonlight Blossom for following.  
**

**Now for replies to reviews:  
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**SammiRichGurl: Hahah oh God I just died reading that! "Brie shutup!" Haha xD  
**

**EriksAngelForever: I'm hoping my old audience comes back to read it, and so far two of you have! And I've gotten some new people reading it too!  
**

**Elizabeth Scarlette: Thanks so much! I was hoping to have new readers so your review made me so happy!  
**

**PhantomPhan01: Haha Erik will realize eventually. Speaking of which, re-writing this reminds me of something I used to do...something I did before the story started...  
**

**Anyways, I do not own POTO.  
**

* * *

"C'mon guys! Can we please go back?" Halle asked as she grabbed Jon's arm tightly. I looked back at Brie, who had a smug look on her face as we walked. Gritting my teeth as we walked on, I nearly fell when the floor went down, turning into stairs. The group collided into me, once again nearly knocking me down the stairs. Peeking my head over the side, I saw that the bottom was nearly impossible to see.

"It goes down pretty far." I murmured, and turned to face the group. "Now do you want to go down there? There could be rats down there." I wiggled my fingers at Brie who scoffed in response.

"Nothing could possibly live down here." She said, and pushed past me looking down herself. "So, go on. Lead the way." Rolling my eyes I stepped forward and started down the stairs, shining the light so I could see better. The air was growing slightly warmer, and I could smell something funny.

"Does anyone smell..." I sniffed the air again and winced a little, "Rusty water?" I felt someone brush against my arm and looked up to see Jon. Halle still clutching to him, frightened.

"Yeah.." He muttered and walked step-in-step with me. We walked and walked for what seemed like ages down the stairs, and when we thought it would never end, the stairs came to a stop. Halle nearly fell off the last step because she was looking back behind us. She was probably hoping we would turn around. Stopping, I looked both ways and realized it was one way or the other. One hallway seemed darker than the other, and from one there was a sound of rushing water.

"Which way do we go?" Brie asked me, stepping up so she was next to us. Lexi followed her, looking around uncomfortably as we discussed what to do. A rat scurried by our feet, and I stepped over it, as it headed for Halle. She screeched, frightened, and hopped away, Jon holding onto her so she wouldn't run.

"I-I wanna go b-back." She said, sniffing a little. "P-Please." I swallowed and nodded, starting for the stairs.

_Christine.._

_Christine.._

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned towards the darker tunnel. Staring into the dark something like a large shadow spun through, as if a piece of the dark was moving. I blinked multiple times, knowing my eyes were playing tricks on me._  
_

"Guys..did you hear that?" I asked, and most of them shook their head.

"Aleixa, nothing can live down here!" Brie shouted, and glared at me. "It is an old, dusty basement."

"Wait, I hear something too." Jon said, and walked to the other tunnel. "Water...I hear water. C'mon. The sooner we can find water, we can find an exit. Right?" Before anyone could answer he started walking towards the tunnel, and soon everyone started to follow him. I looked back at the dark tunnel, staring into it for a few seconds. Did I really hear what I thought?

"Hey, you comin'?" I turned and saw Jon standing in the entrance to the tunnel. Brie and Lexi stood behind him staring at me, Halle hiding behind Jon. I nodded and jogged to them quietly.

* * *

Wandering the hallway, he listened quietly for more voices. Sure enough he could hear people talking, and wondered who it could be. Would Christine have brought Mama Valerius and a few other family members with her? To meet him?

No, that was stupid.

Maybe Christine really wasn't here...Maybe it was all in his head.

"You should just go back into your life of solitude..." He whispered to himself and started to go back down. Wait a second...

There it was again!

Her voice!

Turning towards the tunnel once more he ran down it, his heart racing as he took each step. If she really had returned, he would be able to live with himself again. As he came towards the light, he could see her silhouette in front. Slowing down to a halt he stared off in wonder. In the blackness that was her silhouette he could see the profile of her face, hair hanging in it and something around her neck. A dress collar maybe. But it didn't seem like she was wearing a dress.

_Christine.._

_Christine...  
_

He called to her softly and saw her head turn towards the tunnel. It was her! Before he could approach her he saw a new silhouette move to her. A boy. Three more came to follow, all female. Who was this boy? Raoul? No, this boy had much shorter hair and seemed shorter than Raoul had been. Rage built up inside him and he clenched his fists angrily. Soon the people left Christine alone, standing on her own in the middle of the room. As he started to walk out, she ran away down the other tunnel.

"They're going down to my home.." With a swish of his cape he was walking back down the other way.

* * *

It seemed like we had been walking forever, and although the sound of rushing water helped me realize we were getting closer, it seemed like getting there was slow as can be. My feet were beginning to ache and I was starting to curse under my breathe. If I hadn't stepped in the water I would have sat down. My pant leg was now wet and my boots dunked in water. My head followed it down through a strange catacomb of beautifully carved walls with candelabras standing by, waiting to be lit.

"Here, this is proof enough that he existed. He built this as his home. Now can we go back?" I asked, and Jon sighed.

"As much as I'd love to go back, we'd get lost trying to find our way out. We nearly got lost in this damn..labyrinth." Jon said and looked back at all of us. "If we follow the water, it must lead out to some sort of sewer pipe, and then we can find an exit. The phantom would have needed more than one exit anyways. So...the only way out is through."

"I guess you're right Jon...like always." I said, and smiled at him. He grinned and took Halle's hand gently.

"Come on Halle." He coaxed her and she sighed, following him into teh water.

"Um, I am not stepping foot in rusty old water." Brie whined loudly, and stared down at the water.

"Well Brie, it was your idea to come down here," Lexi said and headed towards the river.

"Lexi, if you're a true friend, you'll stand here with me."

" I want to get the fuck out of here so Brie," Lexi motioned to the water, "Let's go." I smiled, there was the old Lexi I loved. She brushed past me without a word and Brie groaned and whined as she walked into the water, frowning. As she mumbled to herself I laughed for a second before walking down, following the water.

"We should be coming to a gate.." I said, and I heard a 'plop' in the water.

"My phone!" Lexi said, and reached down for it. The current pulled it away and she started running (as much as a person could in water) after it.

"Lexi wait up! Don't go off alone!" Jon called and we all chased after her, although Brie was very slow at following. Lexi stumbled after her phone, and groaned loudly in aggravation as it swam underneath metal. We all stopped and I looked up in amazement as an enormous gate stood in front of us.

"Holy crap...it's here." I said, and then smiled wide. "He really did exsist! Oh God!"

"She's having a fangasm." Halle whispered to Jon and he chuckled. Lexi reached under the bars for her phone and sighed as she tried.

"I can't reach it." She moaned and gave up, standing up as her clothes dripped in water.

"Holy on.." Jon said, reaching under the gate. "It's slightly risen..Maybe I can.." Jon closed his eyes, squinting them tightly as he bared his teeth, lifting up with all his might. I saw inside a the rope that held the lever loosened and the gate moved up slightly. He let go, huffing and puffing slowly and then looked at us. "C'mon." We took turns sliding underneath the gate and all stood in awe looking at the lair.

"It's so beautiful.." I whispered and walked up onto the cobble stone floor. Shards of broken glass and mirror remained on the floor, dying rose petals too. Music sheets were scattered around and there were marble head-stones holding different masks on them. Clothes hung on racks and there were fancy curtains hung up in different areas. A dusty old organ sat, it's cover up and the pipes covered in cobwebs. I walked up to the organ and saw fingerprints in the dust, and felt a dry lump form in my throat.

"Alright now let's find a way out and-" I heard a smash and looked over my shoulder to see a smashed porcelain mask on the floor. Turning around fully I saw Brie standing over it and giggling.

"Oops." She said and started laughing. Lexi laughed along and looked around, spotting some music sheets and picked them up. I felt sudden anger and rushed over to them.

"What are you doing?!" I shouted and Lexi stopped in her tracks.

"Having fun." Brie stated simply, smirking at me.

"Trashing someone's things isn't fun! It's rude and stupid." I said, and Lexi looked between the two of us.

"Go on Lexi, rip it. It's not like some dead guy cares." Brie explained and picked up a different music sheet. She tore it, and grinned as the two pieces floated down to the ground. Lexi looked between us before ripping it. Each ripping sound caused tears to well in my eyes and I wiped them away.

"Stop it!" I screamed and glared at the two of them angrily. Brie laughed and Lexi felt obliged to laugh along with her, as they started ripping more music sheets, knocking stuff over like chairs. Brie pounded angrily on the organ and shouted; "BAA! THIS MUSICAL SUUCKS!" I wanted to go over there and punch the daylights out of them, and before I could stop myself I was over by Brie.

"Yes?" She asked in that smug voice, and before she knew it she was on the ground, and a tooth flew out of her mouth, landing on the floor. Gasping, she looked up at me in shock, a bruise forming on her cheek and lip as she glared at me. "You psychotic ho! Who do you think you are?" Jon ran up and grabbed my arms before I could do anything else as I cried and screamed.

"No! Who do you think you are? You two are the worst people I've ever met! You're both horrible, ugly people who don't care about anyone but themselves! I knew you were like this Brie but Lexi!" My former best friend stared at me guiltily and frowned slightly, looking down. "You are the worst person in my eyes. I hope you both DIE!" I squirmed and pulled my way out of Jon's arms, and stormed past everybody. I saw an open tunnel where a curtain hung carefully and headed towards it, leaving a stunned Halle, angry Jon, injured Brie, and hurt Lexi.

* * *

As he headed back towards his home, he was thinking over what could possibly be going on right now. It was while he was contemplating what to do when he heard someone scream. His beloved Christine screaming at someone.

Oh no..

"Angel!" He cried and ran down the hallway.

_Stop it! _

She screamed and it made his heart ache as he ran faster. Soon he was skidding to a halt as he heard someone crying, and softly singing. Hiding in the shadows as he approached the sound, he followed the singing to it's owner.

_Father once spoke of an angel.._

_I used to dream, he'd appear.  
_

_Now as I sing, I can sense him._

_And I know he's here.  
_

She was calling to him, singing to him. A smile tugged at his lips and he finally saw a body sitting with her back against the wall. In the dark it was hard to really see her, but it was her voice! It must be her! But how to approach her?

_Wandering child.. _

_So lost, so helpless,  
_

_Yearning for my guidance..  
_

Her head snapped up and she looked in his direction, seemingly looking at him. He came closer as she opened her mouth a little.

_Angel, Oh speak!_

_What endless longing!  
_

_Echo in this whisper!  
_

He smiled and stood over her as he was eloped in shadow, looking down at her shaking form.

_Too long you've wandered in winter _

_Far from my fathering gaze  
_

She shook her head and seemed to rub her forehead with her hand and stared off into the dark, then down at the floor, opening her mouth. Not a sounmd came out. She probably feared him after everything, and he felt guilty. He opened his mouth to sing with her but she stopped as she stood up, shaking, staring at him through the dark.

_Yet the soul obeys!_

_Angel of music..  
_

_You denied me  
_

_Turning from true beauty  
_

_Angel of music  
_

_Do not shun me  
_

_Come to your strange angel! _

He took her hands in his, and was about to speak to her when he noticed her nails were a strange color. They were..black. He squinted and looked closer to inspect her. Her hair was straight and tied back, pieces of hair hanging by her face as bangs hung over her eyes slightly. A strange device was around her neck and she wore strange clothes. Her eyes weren't even brown..

They were...grey.

"You...are _not_ Christine..."

* * *

I ran far enough into the tunnel before collapsing on it's dusty floor, with my back against the wall as I cried. Makeup was most likely running down my face but I couldn't really care at this point. They had gone too far this time, and it hurt me. The story I loved was being mocked by two people I knew. One who used to be my best friend...

"Who needs friends? Who needs anybody?" I murmured to myself, and sniffed as I wiped my face with my sleeve. "Well..Jon and Halle are my friends right?" I nodded to myself, then stopped. "I need to stop talking to myself..." As I sat alone in the dark, I played with my headphones and iPod, sniffing again.

_Father once spoke of an angel.._

_I used to dream he appeared  
_

_Now as I sing I can sense him  
_

_and I know he's here.  
_

Only silence greeted me and I sighed to myself, crying again. I thought I should probably go back, and as I thought about it I heard a voice singing.

_Wandering child.._

_So lost so helpless  
_

_Yearning for my guidance..  
_

I snapped my head up and looked into the darkness, swallowing a dry lump that formed in my throat. Who..who could be singing to me? Swallowing again, I opened my mouth to reply, croaking a little as I sang back weakly.

_Angel oh speak! _

_What endless longing!  
_

_Echo in this whisper!  
_

As I waited for the response, I saw the darkness growing closer towards me and panicked a little. Who could possibly be down here with us? Unless...

_Too long you've wandered in winter_

_Far from my fathering gaze  
_

I shook my head, rubbing my forehead with a hand as I tried to close out these voices. But they weren't in my head. As I looked above me,a figure stood cloaked in black. With a white eggshell mask covering half his face.

'_It...can't be_.' I thought,and tried to sing back. But it wasn't audible to him, for he looked down at me, expecting a response. My throat felt dry and closed up, not another sound escaping. I was not going to sing back to this vision. _'It's in my mind, it's in my mind. I'm dreaming. I fell asleep. I-'_

It seemed like my voice was just dried up, and the strong gaze from the shadow wanted me to sing. I stared up at the shadowy figure, scared beyond wits. He continued to sing to me as I stood, wanting to run. Yet my feet wouldn't do what my mind wanted them to. He grasped my hands as he sang.

_Yet the soul obeys._

_Angel of music  
_

_You denied me  
_

_Turning from true beauty  
_

_Angel of music  
_

_Do not shun me  
_

_Come to your strange Angel!  
_

He opened his mouth to speak again but was staring at my nails. I followed his gaze and saw he was looking at my nail polish. As he stared at me I watched his lips mouth a few things to himself, before he looked up at me, confused. His eyes moved around as they inspected my face and all I could feel and hear was my heart beating violently in my chest.

"You..are _not_ Christine.." He said, glaring at me and I felt his grip on my hands tighten. Finally, my body decided to do something and I twisted my hands towards his thumbs, loosening his grip. Backing away, he looked up from the ground and before I could run I stopped. He was..crying.

I made him cry?

The thought of me, making a fictional character I held dear to my heart and idolized as a symbol of music and love cry, hurt me and I just stopped and stared. As tears slowly rolled down his cheek, including the porcelain one, he glared at me with strong intensity and hatred. As if I had just committed the most heinous crime he'd ever seen and was viewed as nothing more than a vile creature.

"You..." He inhaled a deep wavering breathe, his shoulders visibly shaking as his body tensed, "You..." I stared in fear as he tried to finish his sentence, but the rage finally took over, as he charged. I started to run backwards, not wanting to take my eye's off of him. Unfortunately I forgot that running backwards wasn't the best, because tripping over my own feet was most likely going to be my downfall.

Which, it literally was.

Falling back onto my butt, I groaned as my back bounced against the hard floor, and before I realized it, the Phantom was upon me. I screamed and kicked with my legs, trying to move further away from him and get up but it was too late. Like a vice his hand was around my arm, tugging me violently upwards until I was on my feet. Well, barley. They hovered as he lifted me off the ground, pinning me against the wall with each hand on either arm. My vision was growing blurry from tears as he brought his face close to mine, his breathe choppy and hot.

"As if losing her wasn't bad enough for me, I am still _haunted_ by her voice. Hearing it as I wake, as I wander through the safety of my own home. Hearing it in you. But you have the nerve to pose as my beloved angel?" He hissed as tears streamed down his face, anger and hurt in his eyes. "Are you here to _mock_ me? To remind me of the fact that I am destined for loneliness?" As he shook his head, muttering to himself I took in a deep breathe and watched him slowly lower me, his grip still tight on my arms.

"_All_ women will remind me of her now..." He mumbled, and I let my eyes wander over him. He looked like a mix of the Musical and Novel version I had seen/read. His wig was a pitch black, neatly combed and placed on his head. His mask was indeed a half mask, but covered half of his lip where the deformity made it slightly swollen. His eyes were an ice blue, yet in the dark they seemed to glow gold like the novel.

"S-She loved..you." I managed to sputter, causing him to snap his head towards me again. His eyes searched my face for a minute before he snarled again, wrapping a hand around my neck quickly, cutting off air. I gasped and used my free hand to claw at his, but it wouldn't budge.

"Stop it!" He screamed in my face, raging. "Your voice! Your..voice..." He seemed to pause as he glared at me, but I was so focused on trying to get him to release me. Luckily, as I was fading in and out of consciousness, someone shouted near the opening towards his lair. The Phantom looked over and released my neck. Inhaling sharply, I fell over onto my knees taking in as much sweet air as I could. No matter how damp and muggy it was.

That moment was short lived as he yanked me back up, grasping my ponytail with one hand and my arm with the other, dragging my towards the shouting.

"Let's go," I heard him whisper in my ear, "You can see your delinquent mob one last time before you _die._"

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism? R/R please!  
**


	3. He's Here, The Phantom

**A/N: Hey Hey Hey! Stay outta' my shed!  
**

**Anyways, thanks for the reviews so far guys! I love opening my email to see like seven FF emails in a row. Makes me feel good and warm and fuzzy inside.  
**

**SammiRichGurl: Ahh don't worry about Brie now, she's not gonna stay for long. I feel bad for making her such a bitch because I used her name and hair color off of one of my friends and was like, 'Oh, but Brie really isn't a bitch..I like Brie. I love Brie.' But I suck at making up name's so...yeah...If she ever does read this I'm gonna probably jump off a bridge lol like Javert.  
**

**SurvivingTheDreams: I'm glad you love it!  
**

**PhantomFan01: The wait is over! Here it is!  
**

**FireRock876: Don't kill me please! Look, see, here's a chapter c:  
**

**GrapeJuice101: Oh there will be plenty of MOTN in here. And other songs.  
**

**Lexi1864: Here is more!  
**

**You know, I can't help but feel mlike my Author Notes are lacking in something...humurous.  
**

***Suddenly organ music begins playing and I look over at my mirror as fog swirls out of it, a shadow stepping through in a cloack and hat, a white mask on his face.*  
**

**Figure: Hello, M'Dear.  
**

**Me:...Raoul..what're you doing? *The music abruptly stops and Raoul shuts off the iPod, frowning sadly.*  
**

**Raoul: I tried so hard to make our get-together so special, after being away so long and all I get is 'What're you doin?"  
**

**Me: *Rolls my eyes and hugs him* Where's Erik?  
**

**Raoul: *Goes to reply but we both fall through a trap door*  
**

**Boht of us: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *We land in a lake, soaking wet as organ music plays loudly. A figure sits at it, pounding on the keys*  
**

**Figure: Cheri...Fop  
**

**Me: Erik!  
**

**Raoul: Oh so much enthusiasm for him but not me!  
**

**Me:..Fop! Erik! Now my author notes will be fun again!  
**

* * *

**He's here, The Phantom.  
**

* * *

My feet dragged across the cobble as I kicked and struggled to stop him from tugging me along. But The Phantom was stronger than I had hoped, despite how wasted away he looked. His huffing and heavy breathing didn't help the case, as it fueled his anger even more. Each time he took a step, he pulled my hair harder and I winced in pain.

"Hey," I heard Jon call, and saw his silhouette in the light at the end, "What're you doin'? You okay down there?" My heart dropped into my stomach and I started trying to dig my feet into the stone to slow The Phantom down. I wanted to call out and tell Jon to run away, to go and get out of here but my throat was dry. Finally it bubbled up in my throat as The Phantom dragged me closer and Jon finally got to see what was really coming out of the shadows.

"JON RUN!" I screamed and The Phantom grabbed my face, covering my mouth as he threw me into the light. Jon jumped back, nearly tumbling backwards and he gasped in shock as The Phantom stepped behind me. I looked up, coughing, and saw Halle turn whiter than I had ever seen her before. A frightened shriek escaped her lips and it caught Brie and Lexi's attention. The two shrieked in unison and Brie stepped back, her hands landing on the keys of the organ, causing it to play loudly.

The Phantom's head snapped up and he glared at her, his chest still heaving. I turned back to look at him and I watched as his eyes trailed down to me, before back to her. Brie looked around, before she smiled. After she smiled, she started laughing. The Phantom stopped breathing just as hard and stared at Brie in confusion, before looking back down at me. I merely shrugged, just as confused.

"She's kind of a bitch.." I whispered. He ignored me and looked back up at her. Brie continued to laugh, and Lexi stared at her with wild eyes. Halle and Jon exchanged confused glances and then looked at me.

"T-This is...s-such a..f-force!" Brie managed to say between giggles as she nearly doubled-over in laughter. Walking up to The Phantom, who recoiled slightly, she kicked me aside gently with her foot. "Move, weirdo." She looked up at the confused Phantom, who stared down at her with new anger. "Now this is what I call forcing it."

"Forcing it? Brie, what the hell are you talking about?!" Jon shouted at her, nearly stepping forward to stop her, but Halle held him back.

"The lengths she would go to, to try and convince us this Phantom-crap was real. I mean, did she really just find a worker to dress up like him?" She reached out and shoved his chest lightly, He jumped back, angry, and grabbed her wrist tightly. She scoffed and looked up at him. "Um, ow?" Yanking her wrist from his grip she meandered over to one of the desk's covered in drawing's of Christine. Picking one up, it triggered the Phantom to get really angry.

"Do no touch that!" He bellowed and glared at her. Rolling her eyes she giggled and held it between her pointer finger and thumb.

"You mean this?" She asked with all the fake-politeness she could. "If you're not really the Phantom then you won't mind if I just.." Before he could reply to her again, she ripped it in two. I saw The Phantom's face fall before twisting in complete and utter outrage. More tears fell from his eyes and before any of us knew it, he had Brie around the neck with his hand, crushing her windpipe. She gasped and croaked, clawing and waving her hands at him as a weak attempt to escape. As the life drained from her body, the rest of us too shocked to do anything about it, we watched as her hand made one final attempt.

Knocking his mask off his face.

* * *

He hadn't expected it to happen, but when it did he reacted immediately. Dropping the nearly-lifeless girl, he covered his face as his mask fell down towards the floor. It was luck that it bounced on top of a knocked down curtain, not breaking. Stumbling backwards, he looked towards the rest of the group in his home. He had expected a large mob to be standing there, not a few young children.

Just like the one he had found lurking in the tunnels, near his hidden rooms, they were all dressed in the strangest clothing, most of the girls wearing pants, except for the tiny blonde one hiding behind the only boy in the group. He had stared in shock at this strange group, wondering what they were doing. When he saw the one laughing, her black hair bouncing as she did, he felt utterly confused now.

What did she mean, worker?

Didn't everyone still fear him? As The Phantom of the Opera? Why was she so persistent to deny his existence?

Before he knew it, she had a portrait of Christine in her hand. Lovely, beautiful Christine.

And she ripped it.

As the paper ripped, so did his heart once more. He clenched his fists tightly and felt rage blind his vision with a murderous red haze, and he stormed towards the laughing girl. In an instance he had his hand wrapped around her throat, determined to rid her of her existence. His eyes stung with tears as he choked the life out of her.

Now, as he covered his face with a hand, he turned to look at the rest of them. They all stared, not saying a word. They happened to not be staring at him, but at the limp girl on the floor. After minutes of silence the boy ran up to the body, taking the wrist and feeling it's pulse.

"S-She's dead." He announced, and looked back up at the Phantom. The Phantom refused ot look back, and started to feel like he was back on display for the world to see. To see the freak that he was. A monster. "You killed her."

"If you had not come down to look upon the Monster, this wouldn't have happened," He replied and glared down at the boy, with his hand still covering his face, "Now you shall join her." In a minute the Phantom pulled out his punjab lasso and wrapped it around the boys neck. The boy struggled to take the rope off and choked.

"Jon!" A high-pitched voice squealed and the tiny blonde started to cry harder. As the Phantom choked the life out of the boy, something grabbed his shoulders from behind taking him by surprise. Releasing the boy, he turned to see the girl from earlier staring up at him. Before he could grab her, she held something up to him.

His mask.

Without saying a word she held it to him, staring at him with wide eyes. He stared down and for a minute felt as if he were looking down at Christine. Through his blurry, tear-filled eyes, she looked like Christine. The differences seemed to blend with the similarities between the two and he once again, believed it was her. But he knew it wasn't.

..Was it?

Shaking his head, he noticed another girl in the far back, heading for the opened gate. His eyes widened, 'No,' he thought and snatched the mask from the girls hands.

"C'mon let's get out of here!" The boy shouted and the Phantom saw him running to the water too. The little blonde followed suite and the other girl backed away slowly, heading for her group. The Phantom merely sneered, and quickly made his way to the back behind the desk. Pulling a hidden lever, he watched as the gate descended. It had barley been up to begin with, so it wouldn't take much to close.

Unfortunately for the brunette, as she was struggling to swim under, she looked up to see the gate heading towards her.

"Lexi, No!" The first girl shouted, reaching for her friend. But it was too late. The jagged bottoms of the gate pierced the girl through the back, pushing through her and pushing her body down into the water. Another terrified scream ripped from the blonde's throat, as she buried her face in the boy's shoulder. The other girl stared in shock.

"Now the rest of you shall die along with my secrets."

* * *

I stared as the water turned red, floating towards the three of us. That was two dead in less than five minutes, and there were only three of us left. How were we supposed to live now? I was considering giving up when an idea struck me like an arrow to the knee*.

"Follow my lead," I grumbled in Jon's ear as I brushed past him, and looked up and the now masked Phantom. He was making his way down to the water's edge, obviously his intent was to kill us. Before he could make it, I began to run as much as I could in the water, towards the tunnel and Jon and Halle followed me. The Phantom took a quick look before bounding after us.

Climbing up onto dry land we bolted into the tunnel running for our lives through the dark. My heart pounded violently in my ears until all I could hear was our footsteps and my heart. Footsteps echoed a ways behind us but he knew these catacombs better than we did. Finally, feeling along the wall I felt an opening, and whispered;

"Guys, in here!" Jon and Halle, who nearly flew past me, skidded to a stop and ran inside. it seemed to be another way up and out, with winding stairs. My suspicions were true. Like in the novel there were dozens of hidden exits as well as rooms, meaning a kitchen, library, study, and all these other rooms from the novel existed. Just before I could go in, I heard closer footsteps and started running again. If I could just get Jon and Halle safe, maybe I could lead the Phantom away and find a different exit. Surely he wouldn't want to be seen or found.

Looking back, I saw a bit of white through the dark as he ran for me. Turning back, I huffed and ran even faster, it felt as though my legs were doing everything on their own. Just as I saw a new opening ahead of me, I smiled and nearly leaped for it,

If only the floor beneath me hadn't given away, causing me to go screaming as I fell into the abyss.

* * *

Jon watched as Aleixa ran by, and stayed back against the wall pulling Halle into him. She was nearly hyperventilating and he had to cover her mouth to silence her. The Phantom ran by, and as soon as the footsteps died down, he grabbed her hand.

"She probably knows where she's going, let's go see where this leads." Jon coaxed Halle into tearing herself away from the opening. "I promise, she'll be fine. Aleixa will be fine." Halle finally took a deep breathe and nodded, following Jon up the stairs. After an eternity of running up the stairs, they finally saw light. It came in the form of a thin square, obviously a hidden passage. Pushing on it with all his might, Jon watched as it fell over, revealing the manager's office.

Taking Halle's hand, he helped her climb out before they both closed it up.

"J-Jon," Halle stuttered as she sat down in one of the chairs, shaking, "W-What if he g-gets her?" Jon tried pushing the idea out of his head, but knew he had to think about it. What just happened was very real. How was he to explain what happened to her, Brie, and Lexi? No one would believe his story, and even if they followed him down the Phantom surely would have his other traps set. Now that he knew people had access to his home he would definitely tighten up his security measurements.

But Aleixa...If she was still down there, would he use her as a threat to them?

"He won't. She'll be okay." Jon said, and looked down at the soaking wet girl. "Want to rest a bit before we go head out?" A tiny nod was his answer. After ten minutes of silence, Halle piped up; "What are we gonna do? What will we say?"

"I...I don't know." Jon rubbed the back of his neck. So there the two sat in confusion, trying to think of what to say. "I mean, the police is the best option..." Jon murmured to himself, and Halle looked up at him.

"They can catch him! The police is who we need, Jon! As long as we can convince them to follow us, we can-"

"What if he's already blocked of the entrance so he can never be bothered again? We don't know every exit and entrance Halle."

"But Jon, it's our only chance. There are two dead bodies down there...possibly three..." Tears welled in her eyes as she finished her sentance, her voice dying out slowly.

"I guess you're right." The doorknob started jiggling and before the two could react, a man stepped inside. His skin was a dark olive color, and his eyes a golden hazel. With black and grey hair, and a matching beard, he was dressed like a man of business. He stared at the two, blinking, and instead of yelling at them he calmly asked;

"Can I help you?" Jon and Halle exchanged glances, before diving towards him.

"Yes!"

* * *

The Phantom stared down into the black of the trap door, as the girls screams faded out. He knew exactly where this one lead to, and was about to go down when he realized the fall would certainly knock the girl out cold. He had time to spare. Time to find the other two who dared enter his home.

His home...

His heart broke as the thought of his precious music being destroyed, and his beautiful paintings. Turning swiftly, he started back towards the tunnel when he heard footsteps. Stopping at an opening, he looked into the many stairwells, his eyes adjusting to the new level of dark, and grinned. Too easy. Slowly he followed up the stairs, but was shocked to discover they had found a way out.

"Damn it." He grumbled and was about to leave when he overheard them talking.

"J-Jon, w-what if he g-gets her?" It was the timid girl, the tiny shaken one. She must be talking to the boy. Leaning against the hollow wall, the Phantom listened carefully.

"He won't. She'll be okay." The boy replied, and the Phantom sneered. Surely they had forgotten what he had done. Killed many people, set an opera house on fire, even shattered a chandelier. His face fell thinking about the events, and his mind tumbled somewhere else as the two kept talking. What had happened after Christine and Raoul left? Why couldn't he remember?

Looking down at himself, he realized he seemed ghostly pale, more so than usual, and was thinner than before. Like he was wasting away...

What had happened?

Surely these children must know what had happened...They must!

That girl...

The Phantom frowned at the idea of not being able to kill them now. But soon enough he was smiling again, as a plan formed in his head. It was simple; Use the girl that was left behind as bait for the other two, and wait for them to return. Simply dispose of the girl and then ask the other two the questions. Why he didn't want to talk to the other girl, was simply because she reminded him of her. Of Christine.

Was it really her fault? No. But he couldn't bear to fall under the spell of that damned voice again. She didn't sound so much like Christine, maybe at first, but ti was all in his head. Surely...He could get some information from her. Then dispose of all three, as if they never even came.

But that voice..

"I mean, the Police is the best option.." The Phantom paused his thoughts when he heard those words, and leaned in again.

"They can catch him! The police is who we need, Jon! As long as we can convince them to follow us, we can-"

"What if he's already blocked of the entrance so he can never be bothered again? We don't know every exit and entrance Halle."

"But Jon, it's our only chance. There are two dead bodies down there...possibly three..." The Phantom scoffed, not yet unfortunately. He turned swiftly and made his way back down the catacombs to where the other two bodies were.

If this was going to work, he had to make sure none of the evidence pointed to him. And what better way than making it look like an accident? Children fooling around backstage with items they shouldn't be, getting injured.

But the missing girl...

Who would have to know? Well, The Phantom knew he would have to let the other two know that trying to get help would be the worst possible thing...

* * *

**So while writing this I was listening to everything Phantom related and had a fangasm causing me to have a burst of inspiration.**

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism? R/R please!  
**


	4. I Remember

**A/N: Hey guys!  
**

**So, as you can see, I have a new chapter up and ready, posting it at *checks the time* 5:50 for you. *leans in really close*You're welcome.  
**

**Anyways, thanks to: GrapeJuice101, Lexi1864, Andimpink, EriksAngelForever, Phantomfan01, VestaDragon, and KPW1998 for reviewing. :D  
**

**Erik: *shuffles into the room in the most fanciest of fancy bathrobes* What in the bloody hell are you doing awake?  
**

**Me: Postin' schtuff  
**

**Erik: Well you should not be up so early! You need sleep.  
**

**Me: It's a school day, dumb-butt. I have to be awake at 5:30.  
**

**Erik:...Well I most certainly don't need to be awake at such an hour *shuffles away grumbling angrily to himself, brushing past Fop before shoving him hard*  
**

**Raoul: *nearly falls face first but catches balance* Woah! Hey what're you guys doing?  
**

**Me: Phanman over there was scolding me for being awake.  
**

**Raoul: Isn't it a school day?  
**

**Me: Precisely.  
**

**Raoul: *scoff* What a fop.  
**

**Erik: *Comes in and bashes Raoul in the head with a pillow, knocking him to the floor* I have wonderful hearing you know  
**

**Me:...What the hell is in that thing?!  
**

**Raoul: *unconcious*  
**

**Erik: Butter. Sticks of butter.  
**

* * *

**I Remember...  
**

* * *

The Phantom wasted no time grabbing the body's, and hoisted both on either shoulder, carrying them upstairs. He emerged in the prop room, and looked around. Carefully he found a thick scarf-like piece of fabric and tied it around the black haired girl's neck, before tying it to a clothing hook in the wall. Placing a stood near her, he poised it properly and made it look as though the girl herself had kicked it away, from under her feet.

It looked like it was suicide.

"Now for you," He murmured to the other body. This one would be difficult. There must be a prop piece by that could impail someone once fallen. He looked around and smirked wickedly as he saw jousting stick in the back. He could easily make it look like the girl had found her friend, backed up in shock and impailed herself. Sticking the body onto the stick, he stood back to admire his work.

No, admire was the wrong word. He didn't _enjoy_ killing people, he had to.

"I have time before she'll awake," He told himself, mentioning the girl who still was down there, "I'll need to supply myself with necessities." Turning swiftly he made his way out the back of the Opera House. As he was about to step out of the alley, something flew by him, frightening him terribly. Peeking his head back out from the shadows, he saw huge shining objects flying by on the road, in different shapes and colors. They made loud noises and roared as they flew on.

"What the hell?" He backed up in shock, blinking rapidly. People walked on the sidewalks talking to each other, and..women were wearing pants. Putting a hand to his forehead, The Phantom felt faint and ran back inside quickly.

The food could wait.

"That damned girl ought' to know what's happening.." He grumbled and stormed his way down to his home. Soon he was in his study, and looked out of a small window. Laying on the floor, unconscious in his torture chamber was the girl. Her blonde hair was sprawled out across the floor underneath her head, eyes closed. Her chest moved up and down, a sign she was alive.

She looked like..

"No!" He grabbed the side of his head, shaking it violently. "Stop thinking that!" Glaring down at the girl, he felt his rage bubble inside him viciously. This girl must know what's going on, what's with all these strange creatures and people wandering the streets. What was the world becoming? How long had he really been unconscious.

He was about to go upstairs and check on the boy and girl, to make sure they got his 'message' as to coming back down ever again, when he heard a raw scream.

"Oh God..No!"

* * *

Jon and Halle clung themselves to the man who looked down on them in confusion and worry. Both had dry mouth's and had no idea how to explain what to do. How would you explain what happened in the catacombs without sounding crazy?

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked in a slight accent, Jon thought as to what it was. Persian?

"O-Our f-f-friends.." Halle whispered, stuttering nervously.

"What about them?" The man asked, and Jon struggled to find a way to answer his question. A light bulb popped over his head, and he decided to try and make it look like he didn't know.

"They went off on their own," Jon explained, "I-I think I know where but I'm not sure. We wanted to wait for someone to help." The man seemed to take in everything that was being said, giving a sort of non-believing look. After moments of silence he grabbed a pair of keys on the key frame.

"Where?" He asked, and Jon felt relief sweep over him.

"I-I'm not sure..you might know." Jon replied as the man led the two outside.

"Your names?"

"Jon and Halle." Jon walked towards backstage with the man. The man seemed all buisness, yet also seemed quite concerned as he trekked backstage.

"Where did you say they went?" The man asked as he looked around. Jon was about to answer when he felt Halle smack his upper arm gently. Looking down at her he saw her pointing towards something. Looking up, he saw the prop room door was open.

"What the hell?" Jon muttered, catching the man's attention. He turned and saw with alarm that the prop door was opened. Pushing pas the two teens he stormed over to make sure nothing had been stolen. What he saw shocked him. A young girl was hanging from a prop hook, obvious suicide. There was a second dead body.

It looked as if when the second girl found the first girl and tried to bring her down, she fell, landing on the object that had brought her death. Wincing, the man grit his teeth and looked to his right. The boy, Jon was his name, was standing there staring in shock.

"Did your friend have secrets she preferred to keep to herself?" The man asked quietly, and Jon shook his head quietly. Halle, the girl, walked over shaking and whispered to Jon before her eyes finally looked inside. A petrified scream drew forth from her lips and her eyes rolled back, as her body slowly fell to the ground.

She had fainted.

Jon caught her and looked up at the man.

"We had a third friend..." Jon muttered, "But..I don't know what happened to her." The man stared at Jon in silence as he carried Halle away, probably to get help for her. Leaving the man standing alone. His eyes looked back in the room and he picked up his walkie talkie, calling for security. This would not be good publicity, not at all.

A third friend...the boy said there had been a third friend. Jon's eyes had a depressed look when he said that, and it looked as if he was giving up on something. But what?

The man realized, that there were small puddles from where the two had been trailing. Were they wet? What could have possibly gotten them wet? Unless...

"Maybe the stories that I have heard are true," The man said quietly to himself as he paced slowly, "Family stories can be true." There was no way to really tell if his suspicions were true but to wait and see.

* * *

My body felt as though it were falling through space and time, floating forever. Endlessly drifting into sleep, carrying me away. As my eyes began to open, I was immediately blinded by the light, and the sense of immense pain. Twitching, I realized the throbbing was coming from my ankle and tried to focus my eyes on it. Trying to movie it was a dumb idea, because the second I did all I felt was pain.

"Bloody hell!" I grimaced and finally was able to focus my vision. Panic set in when I realized I was surrounded by tree's and mirrors, making the room seemingly endless. A single tree stood in the center with a noose hanging below. For anyone who gives up on survival.. "Oh No..."

No, No no no! I knew exactly where I was.

The Torture Chamber.

"No!" A raw scream came from my throat, cracking dryly. I coughed as my oxygen gave up on me and hunched my back over, grimacing as my ankle throbbed again. "Somebody help me! Please! Is anyone there?" I crawled over towards one of the tree's, grabbing onto it and pulling myself up with all my might. My headphones managed to have stayed around my neck, unbroken miraculously. A scream of pain left my throat as I stood up, forcing pressure on my ankle.

"Can anyone here me?" As soon as those words escaped my lips I nearly dope-slapped myself. Of course nobody could hear me1 I was in the deep-down catacombs of the world's most famous Opera House, in the Phantom of The Opera's torture chamber! I had no chance of survival, and once my sanity started to drain Erik would fake wild animal noises to drive me to madness, and then end my life by the noose.

"C'mon Leixa, pull yourself together. There's gotta be a way out of here. How did Daroga and Raoul escape?" I muttered to myself, and tried to think. All rationality was leaving me as I glanced around. The hot white lights burned my eyes when I didn't squint, and the pain in my ankle made it hard to focus. Digging my fists into the side of my head, I let my back slam into the tree and slid down as I started to cry. "Oh God, Lexi and Brie are dead because of me, Jon and Halle are probably dead because of me! It's all my fault!"

"Actually, your two friends are very well alive." I heard a voice say, echoing and filling the entire room. I jumped in fright, and looked up and around. "Wishing you hadn't come down here to find me in the first place?" The voice sneered at me tauntingly, no pity or sympathy at all.

"Jon and Halle...are alive?" I asked, disregarding what he had just said. I pictured him standing by watching me, with a malicious grin on his face, nodding.

"Indeed they are. Went looking for help."

"Help?"

"Of course, help won't be necessary now." I could practically hear the irritation in his voice. "I gave them the clue that any more visits from them were clearly unwanted." I tried to imagine what he could have done, but that wasn't the most important thing to think about. "You're probably wondering why you even are alive at this point, hm?"

"Well..actually..Yes." I decided honesty was the best policy at this point.

"You saw my face," Was his simple reply and I had a strong urge to whisper 'Barley' but decided against it, "And anyone who see's it must remain here with me. Normally, I dispose of people, but.." He stopped himself and seemed to think it through, "It appears I need you after all."

"Me? You need me?"

"Did I not just say that?" Came to abrupt, angry answer. I nodded frantically, not wanting to open my mouth again out of fear he'll come out and kill me, considering my an annoyance. "I had been going to pick up necessities, such as paper, dip pens, and cleansing supplies, when I came across something rather peculiar.."

"Like what, sir?" I asked, pulling myself back up with the tree as I stared into the open air.

"A large moving creature. It flew past me, with it's herd I assume, right through the streets of Paris! It like a carriage, but lacking a horse." He explained, and it took all my willpower not to burst out laughing. Here I was, talking to the Phantom of the Opera, thinking I was crazy or losing my mind, when he comes and describes to me what he saw;

A car.

"Um..those are cars sir."

"Cars?" He let the word play on his tongue as he spoke it slowly.

"Yes, cars," I explained, "You see, in the 1920's a man named Henry Ford created the Assembly Line which made Automobiles easier to make and sell. Therefore, the common man could have one. Before that, only the rich could afford them. And, they're basically carriages that don't need horses, they have a thing called an engine which is powered by oil."

"Ford, is that an American name? Definitely American by the soun-" He stopped himself from talking, and I heard nothing but silence. I had begun to think he had a heart attack, and leaned forward carefully.

"Uh, Mister Opera Ghost sir?" I called out, but got no answer. "Are you okay?" After moments of eerie silence I finally heard something in the back of the Torture Chamber. It sounded like a door being opened, and then footsteps followed. The footsteps grew louder and louder, and I looked around trying to find the source of them.

"What did you say?" A voice roared at me, and I screamed as he grabbed my shoulder, popping up out of nowhere, shaking me. I stared into his eyes and realized he had changed clothes, wearing simply a poets shirt, and simple pants and shoes. And of course, his blasted mask.

"I-I asked if you were okay."

"No! Before that. About Ford."

"Henry Ford, he invented the automobile."

"When?" The Phantom hissed at me, and I found myself blinking in confusion. Surely if this guy had been wandering around for years he must have known time was going by.

"1920's. The 1920's," Came my answer, and the Phantom suddenly dropped me. I managed to grab hold of the tree, ignoring the stinging pain in my ankle. He continued to stare off into space before his eyes finally met me.

"What...year is it?" He asked, voice barley above a whisper. I didn't know if I wanted to answer that, afraid he might go into hysterics or something.

"...2012..." If his eyes could get any bigger, they would have, as he stared at me in shock. His face drained of even more color and to my surprise, he began rocking back and forth. Oh God, if he was going to faint how on earth was I to help?. So there I was, clinging onto a tree for dear life while Mr. Phantom was hear ready to faint. "Uh, are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay! I have woken up in a strange time period, despite how it feels it's only been an hour. The girl I love is gone, and I am forced to be sitting here talking to you, who lied to me and pretended to be Christine."

"I did not pretend to be Christine!" I told him, desperate to get my point across.

"Then why were you mocking her voice?"

"You were probably hearing things, I-" All of a sudden his hand was around my throat in a death grip. I gagged and coughed, swiping my arms at him weakly, not wanting to provoke him but wanting to live.

"Are you calling me crazy?" He roared in my face, obviously insulted as he began to choke the life out of me. I shook my head as much as I could and managed to croak a bit.

"N-No! I-I just..." I started to struggle speaking and looked up at his twisted, angry face. His eyes were watering and suddenly his facial expressions softened, as if something I said had worked. But I barley said anything. He let me go, shaking his hands like he touched a dead body.

Well, if he hadn't touched them before.

I took a deep breathe and wiped my tears away quickly, not wanting to cave into emotion. The Phantom staggered backwards away from me, nearly falling if nothing had happened, he collected himself and shrugged.

"Is there any other shocking things I should be informed about before we continue?" He asked, crossing his arms. I opened my mouth to answer, before wincing and nodding. "Such as?"

"T-There's a lot..b-but I...I.." A sudden wave of dizziness struck me and I found myself wobbling. I was losing blood sugar, so I reached back in my bag for the Snicker I stored away. But my bag was gone.

He must have taken it off me when he found me down here.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I n-need...Snickers..b-bag..." Before I could finish my sentence I felt myself fall back, hitting the tree slowly. Leaves fell off as it shook, and I felt my eyes closing. "Erik.."

His eye's opened wide and he stared at me in shock, but I could barley tell anymore if I was really seeing it. My vision was fading and so was my hearing. He shouted something to me, but I couldn't hear it as I blacked out.

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism? R/R please!**


	5. Servitude

**A/N: Long time no chapter, huh guys? Sorry that it took so long, I was very busy with stuffs.**

**Anyways..**

**GrapeJuice101: Aww thank you!**

**PhantomFan01: No I'm not letting her off easy this time! No sir! But thank you!**

**KPW1998: Thank you! I really want to make it different from the original, but keeping with the same sort of plot.**

**FireRock876: Aww thanks!**

**Andimpink: Haha yes he did! **

**Elizabeth Scarlette: I don't hate you! I swear! Cliffhangers just make you want to read it!**

**Erik's Angel Forever: Close. Not diabetic but something else. My cousin has it and it gave me the idea because I know alot of times she's passed out in school.**

**SammiRichGurl: Thank God I have you to point of my mistakes haha xD**

**LittleLotte328: It's okay to be obsessed!**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Servitude**

* * *

Ow...

Oh, _Ow_.

I clutched my head with my hand, digging my fingers into my hair and pulling at it slightly, trying to stop the headache. So far it seemed like the only thing that kept happening to me today was me falling unconscious. But this time it wasn't from shock or a rough hit to the head. Nope, this time it was from my stupid condition.

"Ugh, fuck me," I grumbled in pain and tried to open my eyes. To my surprise, I wasn't on the cold metal floor of the Torture Chamber anymore, and I wasn't being blinded by horribly bright lights. Instead there was dim candlelight flickering inside the room, the entrance covered by deep red curtains. My back was on something plush and comfortable, and it made me sleepy. Turning my head, I looked at the shape of the side of the bed and realized it was a wing.

A wing?

Pushing myself up, I came to the shocking conclusion that I was in his home. Well, part of his home. This room was supposed to be Christine's bedroom, if she had chosen the phantom, for there were elegant dressers and a beautifully crafted nightstand beside the bed. The bed itself was shaped like a Swan, with blood red sheets and pillows. It was all absoultley comforting and well thought out that I sat there in silence taking it all in.

"Ah," I heard Erik say, and turned to see the curtain now open, with him standing in the entrance, "I see you have come through."

"I-I have," I managed to whisper hoarsely, and looked back at him with curiosity, "How did I get here?"

"When you passed out you muttered something about Snickers and your bag," Erik explained, staring at me with two different expressions on his face. One of them was complete annoyance, and the other was suspicion.

"Oh, that," I muttered a little upset, "That's just my hypoglycemia." Erik blinked at me with an unmoving face, before he opened his mouth slightly. But before he could ask, I was already explaining. "It's a condition where if I don't have enough blood sugar in my system I get sick, nausea, and even passing out. That's why I had the Snickers bar, in case I felt sick."

"Well lucky for _you_ I had placed your bag in a secret place, so no one would find it for identification if I chose to dispose of you, and found your strange sugar-filled food item," Erik said.

"Well, thank you..."

"Don't thank me," He suddenly said gruffly, "I only did it because I need you." Now _that_ was an answer I wasn't expecting.

"_You_ need _me_?" Our conversation from before I passed out came to mind, and I realized he probably had no clue how to live in this unfamiliar time period. Erik nodded, and looked up slowly with a threatening gleam in his eyes before he snapped his fingers.

"Come." I nodded and swung my legs over the Swan bed, slowly standing up, knowing if I rushed I'd get woozy and dizzy again. Erik watched and waited, unamused, and stood in silence before I managed to walk over. As if he had been holding his anger in the whole time, he suddenly snapped and was upon me. "How do you know my name?"

Pushing me against the dresser, nearly knocking it over, Erik had me cornered and I stared up at him, my eyes wandering his face. He seemed so angry, but I knew he was reacting the only way he knew how to in this situation.

"Well, sir," I stared, clearing my throat, "In 1909 an ex-journalist named Gaston Leroux published a book about the mystery of a Swedish soprano, her disappearance as well as her fiance's and the death of his brother. About the Pailais Garnier. In the introduction he explains his conversation with Nadir, the Persian, before his death. His book was called _**Le Fantôme de l'Opéra**_ and it has become extremely famous. It was made into dozens of small movies, the biggest being in the 1920's with Lon Chaney playing you. You are described much differently in the novel, but then in 1986 a man named Andrew Llyodd Webber created a Musical Adapation of your story starring two British singers, Michael Crawford and my role model, Sarah Brightman. It became a smashing success and is the longest running musical on Broadway. It just had it's 25th Anniversary. There is even a sequel, but we won't mention that."

After my speech, Erik stared at me in disbelief and then whispered, "But...my name..."

"Everybody knows it..." I whispered back and Erik suddenly let me go, nearly falling over himself.

"So, you're telling me, everyone knows my whereabouts?" He question breathlessly, and caught himself on the Swan Bed, sitting down.

"Well, no."

"But you just said-"

"Everyone believes you're fictional," I said, staring at the confused Phantom, who was mumbling to himself in gibberish.

"I can't believe this, my story is known world-wide and-" He suddenly stopped and looked up at me, "Wait, _what the Devil_ is a 'movie'? Or 'Broadway?' Or a 'Musical?'" I felt bad for the poor guy and slowly sat down on the floor, looking up at him.

"Alright, here we go.."

* * *

So Erik sat there for the next hour listening to the girl explain everything to him. As it turns out, movies were moving pictures that were invented in the 1920's and could tell a story. They started out silent but were able to acquire sound and were now huge forms of entertainment. Musicals were like Opera's, only they had more dialogue, or little to no dialogue at all, and Broadway was the most popular place in America to see them, in New York.

"The songs written for your story are absolutely wonderful," The girl explained, and seemed to smile at the thought of the music. Ah, so she was a music lover.

"Might I ask, not to stray from the topic of understanding this strange time period, why you were down here?" Her face fell, and the color drained from it as she seemed to recall everything and Erik watched as she physically struggled to swallow.

"Well, I am a huge fan of your story and the musical," She explained slowly, "And when my musical group, for our school, raised the money to come here for a trip, I was excited to come to the opera House. And, one of the girls you murdered," She had to pause and take a deep breathe to keep herself from crying, "Kept harassing me to come down here to find your house. And when we did find it..."

She stopped, knowing there was nothing else to say. Erik nodded and stood up slowly, thinking to himself.

"Is there anything I would, per say, need to survive these times?" He asked, looking down at the sullen girl. She nodded silently, before she nearly had a heart attack.

"Oh Yes," She said, and looked up at him, "Electricity."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Electric outlets, a fridge, a running water system, an electric microwave and stove, and oven, Oh Gods," She muttered to herself, "You need so much."

"It'd be nice if you to let me know what on earth you are babbling about," Erik huffed angrily.

"Sorry," The girl sighed, "Everyone uses electricity now and most things run on it. You'll need to hire someone to set up all this stuff, you'll need to buy all new items and oh," The girl slapped herself on the forehead, "Plumbing. _Indoor plumbing_." Erik stood in silence listening the everything she said and thought of a way to acquire all these things.

"Girl," He snapped his fingers at the young girl, who looked up quickly, "Since I can't allow you to leave, due to you giving away my where-a-bouts and keeping your meddling friends away from ever returning, you will work for me. It is the closest thing to freedom you will get." The girl's eyes glazed over and suddenly narrowed. Slowly, she stood up and looked at him as if he hadn't spoken English.

"So...I'm your _slave_?" She questioned, and Erik scoffed.

"Of course not, you will just work for me until your friends leave, or you push me to the point of killing you."

"...So a slave."

"No, not a slave-"

"Then what do you call it, huh?" She suddenly shouted in his face, fuming as she clenched her fists by her sides and walking closer to him, "You call it casually keeping someone locked up away from the rest of the world doing labor for a man? Not allowed to make my own choices? What, are you gonna make me sing for you the rest of my life too?"

"You _don't_ sing!" Erik laughed in her face, amused. She huffed and her eyes grew watery again, before she stepped right up in his face.

_"I don't?_ You don't know me at all! How else would you have found me? You heard me singing in the tunnels back there, and you know it!" She glared at him and Erik simply watched her as she struggled not to cry out of anger. "I was singing in the tunnels, you thought I was Christine-" Erik's hand met her face with more force and speed than he intended, and she literally flew backwards onto the floor, trying to catch herself on the dresser. But she accidentally knocked over everything on it instead, still falling downward.

Erik looked at her, trying to conceal his own shock, as she stared up at him. Tears were now streaming down her face and she bit her bottom lip, standing shakily, holding onto the dresser.

"I will not tolerate you raising your voice at me, understand that," He said quietly, "I shall retrieve some of your belonging's from wherever you are living. If you were a slave I wouldn't even dream of doing such a thing. Write me a list of everything I will need, where your items are, and I will go. I'll return in ten minutes for that list," He threw a piece of paper at her and then an old-fashioned looking pen, before walking into the other room.

Exactly ten minutes later he was back, and looked inside the curtained bedroom. The girl was sitting in the corner with her side against the wall, sniffling quietly. On the dresser was the list, fully done and the pen beside the piece of paper.

"I see you did as told," Erik said, addressing her as he read over it, "If you keep it up, I'll reward you." Without a reply the girl merely rested her head on the wall and sniffed. "I must give this list to someone and then I'll be out to get your things. I would say don't try and escape but my entire home is trapped and it wouldn't be much of a loss."

Finally she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and Erik looked away slowly. He wasn't supposed to feel bad for anybody, feel no sympathy, and he found himself not being able to look at her. It made him slightly sick, the fact that she looked like her.

Shaking his head of the thoughts, Erik closed the curtains and left.

* * *

The manager sat at his desk, rubbing his forehead with his hands. The police had finally left, and the story they had so far was two teens had suffered tragic deaths and one had proceeded to go missing. They insisted on trying to look in the basement of the Opera House but he had told them it was closed up for safety reasons.

So now, the police were off looking for what they believed to be a runaway girl. After learning her past and contacting her father, he explained a few things that would help the police. They were worried it was either a kidnapping or she really had run off.

But The Manager knew exactly what was going on.

"Mon Dieu," He said as he took a sip of his water, leaning back in his chair, "What am I to do?" As if an answer to his question, an envelope that seemed to suddenly appear on his desk. It's envelope was a dirty white color and seemed old, ancient actually, and was sealed with red wax in the shape of a skull. Slowly he reached out for it and picked it up, opening it carefully.

_Monsieur,_

_I do not know your name, but you must know mine once you have seen this letter. It seems I am in quite the predicament and I am in need of some things. You are the only person who can give me exactly what I require. Within this letter is a list of everything I need, and make sure that you can get what you can. I will also be needing my monthly pay, although I am unsure what the payment is now-a-days. You see, I have...woken up, as strange as it sounds, and I have no clue as to what goes on in this century.  
_

_It would be so kind if you could leave a letter in Box 5, and I'll be happy to be nothing more than a friend to this Opera house instead of a menace._

_Signed,_

_O.G_

Putting the letter down, he pulled out the list inside and read it over.

"How on _earth_ am I going to get outlets and an electrical current down there?"

* * *

I don't know how long I sat there, but I assume it was only twenty minutes, before I finally decided to get up. There was no time ot be moping around, I should probably have taken this time to escape! Screw his traps and screw him!

"Fuck this," I said and stood up, ignoring the soreness in my legs and back from sitting still for so long. Quickly I walked towards the curtain, then stopped myself. What if he even booby-trapped the curtains? Biting my bottom lip gently, I slowly opened up the curtains and peeked my head out.

...

All clear.

Slowly I walked out and looked around, and was completely stunned once again. It was just so beautiful that every time I saw it I was floored and stunned. But I seriously had to focus on getting the hell out of here. I looked around and tried to think of any solution or escape. The tunnels were definitely trapped, and I had the feeling that he booby-trapped the gate.

But then again, he needs it to get back in so...

"It's worth a shot," I said and stormed through the water over to the gate. Taking hold of the rope, I uncoiled it and slowly took it off the lever, dropping it in the water. As I turned the lever, I realized it was moving slightly and felt relieved. Suddenly it stopped moving and I frowned.

Oh, come on.

I grabbed at it, trying to turn it again and it spun back at me, snapping in place with a 'clang'. I jumped back and let out a roar of frustration. I charged up out of the water, and had the serious urge to either inflict pain on someone or tear something apart. Not caring what the consequences would be, I ran towards Erik's organ and immediately began pounding on the keys in frustration. Letting out the world's ugliest angry symphony. Standing up, I knocked everything I could off the tables and desks, losing myself in my fury.

"Fuck him!" I screamed, nearly tearing my hair out with frustration as I ran from tunnel to tunnel, trying to open it, "_Fuck him fuck him fuck him!_" Finally, after all this energy had pent up inside me, I grabbed the nearest candelabra and swung it, knocking the others over. Stomping on them, extinguishing the flames, I left a mushy puddle of melted and half-melted wax, and as I walked back towards the water it trailed behind me.

I finally came to a stop halfway through the water, falling to my knees and started crying again. I give up, there was nothing I could do. The tunnels were either blocked off or booby-trapped, the gate wouldn't open. My life was over.

Well, no maybe he would just have me serve him until I grew old.

Looking back at the mess I created, I realized that after my temper tantrum there was no way I was living past tonight.

Sniffling, I sat in the water crying to myself and shaking my head, nearly laughing at the situation. I was already going crazy from being in this place. Maybe I was just really stressed out. Or this was all a dream! One crazy-ass dream!

"No...No this is real..." I ended up telling myself softly as I looked up, and that's when another idea came to mind.

What if I killed him and escaped?

...

Alright, despite knowing some self defense moves, I would not be able to over power him. _Not a chance in hell!_

"Well, I might as well just wait and face the consequences," I mumbled to myself, slowly standing up and trudging back to the waters edge. Crawling onto the stone, I forced myself to get up and I looked around. I decided that I should at least take a nap, so if he kills me I'll be asleep enough not to notice right?

Crawling back up onto the bed, I closed my eyes and all the stress, the anxiety, and the pain I was feeling washed away as sleep took over.

* * *

"This is awful," Halle murmured and Jon couldn't help but nod silently in response. After being questioned about who could've kidnapped Aleixa or why she would have run off, they had driven the two back to the hotel they were staying in. As they walked in, they were told the rest of the cast that came on the trip hadn't returned and would be back maybe in an hour. Jon thanked the concierge and explained that when they did they needed to come up to his room.

Halle, who had been staying with Aleixa in a room, asked if she could room with him and his roommate. He agreed.

"I feel like," Halle sniffed as she sipped on the hot coco Jon bought her, "We could've done something to help her. Maybe convinced her to come with us instead of distracting the Phantom."

"I know Halle," Jon murmured, "I know." Outside he remained calm, but on the inside he was freaking out. What if the Phantom had killed her?

"The weird thing is, he kept giving her this look," Halle explained, setting down her hot beverage, "He kept staring at her like she was familiar. Like she was a ghost or something." The elevator dinged and the door opened up on Halle's floor, and the pair started walking to her room.

"That is strange.." Jon replied, rubbing his hand in his hair as he thought, "Maybe he didn't expect to see us."

"He didn't look at her the way he looked at us, He looked at us with disgust. He looked at her as if she was...fragile."

" Ha!" Jon snorted, "If he thought she was fragile he wouldn't have dragged her around!"

"I'm just saying-" The two were interrupted by a shriek and they looked at each other, before running the rest of the way there. Standing in front of Halle's room was a maid, her face a pale white and her eyes bulging out.

"Ma'm are you okay?" Jon asked, putting a hand on her shoulder and she jumped. Shakily she nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Halle interrupted her,

"Jon!" Turning his head towards Halle, Jon walked over and looked inside the room. It was a disaster, the bed was a mess and the sheets thrown everywhere, torn in half. Pillows ripped open and the insides strewn around the room. Painting were knocked over, the wallpaper ripped, and the window was open, letting the curtains fly about.

Halle's clothes were thrown about, having been taken out of the dresser. The clothes in the closet were all gone, disappeared, and the suitcase too. Halle's was broken.

Upon inspection of the bathroom, Halle found her shower caddy was broken in half, the contents of her shampoo and her body wash squeezed out. The other shower caddy was missing. That night the police would have claimed that Aleixa had returned while everyone was gone to have taken her stuff before running off with the money she had to spend on the trip.

But after listening to the maid tell the story of the masked man jumping out the window (And she promised not to tell the police) and Halle found a letter on her bed, the two knew otherwise.

* * *

_Dear Children,_

_This is my only warning to you two._

_After having you break into my home and rampage through it like the mediocre fools you are, I decided I never want to look at your faces again. If you ever return to my home, in search of me or your friend, you will suffer painful and tragic deaths which will not kill you slowly, that I promise. I will tear you to pieces, I will feed you to pirhannas, I will kill you in any method I find painful enough as punishment._

_As for your friend, do not worry._

_She will serve me for the rest of her lifetime until I tire of her and decide to dispose of her._

_Also, she makes a great way to make sure you tow keep your meddling noses out of the way. If you step foot near my home again, she will suffer and you two will most definitely suffer a greater deal._

_Sincerely,_

_O.G_

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism?**_  
_

**R/R please!**


	6. Smile

**A/N New chapter time!**

**I am in such a good mood right now, for God knows what reason, and I just decided to give you guys a chapter before I originally intended to upload it.**

**You lucky ducks.  
**

***My mirror suddenly opens***

**Erik: *steps out* You know, that phrase is un-original. You should make up a new one.**

**Me:...Why did you just...my mirror...I don't want to know...**

**Raoul: *Pokes his head in the door* Totally! Like... 'You lucky Platypuses!'**

**Erik: Stupid fop! It's 'You lucky Platypi!'**

**Raoul: No. It's 'Platypuses.'**

**Me: Guys, I don't have time for 'Are You Smart Than RaFop' right now.**

**Raoul: Ok. Wait...RaFop?!**

**Me: *Eye rolls* Time for the thank you's:**

**GrapeJuice101: I updated ASAP!**

**PhantomFan01:...Basically. LOL. (Pronounced LUL)**

**KPW1998: That was my intention, for some reason I like darker Phanfics...I don't know...maybe I'm weird**

**FireRock876: Every Villain Is Lemons.**

**AndImPink: Tell me about it! He's so...ugh. Orgasmic. OhmyGod did I just say that?**

**SammiRichGurl: I love that you're pointing these errors out, the only issue is...I'm too lazy to fix and re-upload the chapters *Sobs with you* I HATE BEING LAZY BUT I LOVE IT TOO**

**VestaDragon: We all know Erik pulled that one out of his ass xD**

**SakuraNeko-Chan13: Welcome to the party! *Throws a balloon at you* Haha, but thank you!**

**Also, as SakuraNeko-Chan13 messaged me, pointing this out to me, I realized there is some confusion as to why no one found Erik's home before. I probably should have made it more clear, but in reality the mirror doesn't just slide. It's a very small, hidden lever that normally would be very hard to find, but if you read the novel they explain exactly where it is. Of course, I'd have to re-read the novel to figure it out, but like I've said, I'm a lazy person.**

**So...**

**Deal with it.**

**They were lucky someone actually remembered that part of the novel.**

**Some of us *cough* me *cough* were hopeful that Raoul would die.**

**So, yeah.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Smile**

* * *

Since he had left around 5:00 that afternoon, maybe a little later, Erik didn't return to the Opera House until around 7:00, when it was already dark. Despite being happier that it was darker out now, Erik was shocked to realize that no one had been staring at him. Sure, he had changed into his most casual clothes, but no one had even glanced twice at him.

Except for the hotel maid.

The fact that no one noticed him scaling the building struck him as rather odd. How on earth would you not notice a person climbing up the side of a rather tall building? Putting that aside, he recalled the look of shock on the maid's face. She most likely hadn't been expecting to see a man breaking into a hotel room, before basically vanishing before her eyes.

That wasn't something you saw everyday.

As for the normal citizens, they merely brushed past him as he were...normal.

None questioned his mask, his attire, or even asked why he was carrying a luggage bag and dragging one behind him, as well as carrying other cases, and on top of all that, grocery bags. As the things called 'cars' whipped by him (Nearly running him over when he tried to cross the street), he realized that it was the biggest means of transportation. People seemed to be able to use them to get from place to place easily, as well as carry all their things. When he found he could stop these big yellow ones, with signs that read 'Taxi' on top, he used it to his advantage.

"To the Palais Garnier," Erik said, staring straight out the window. The driver nodded, and drove towards his told destination. Erik simply watched the people and buildings as they drove through the streets, and found the car ride quite relaxing. Until the driver nearly took out some tourists and a few other cars, making Erik nearly hurl as the vehicle spun and took sharp turns. Finally they arrived at the opera House, and Erik pushed open the door about the leave when he heard the driver cough sharply.

"Ah-hem!" Holding out his hand at the confused Opera Ghost, the driver raised an eyebrow and closed his fingers in and out. "I don't work for free, I have a family ya' know?" The man said in fluent French, and Erik sighed, reaching into his pocket.

"My apologies," Erik replied, tossing the money at the man before slamming the door and storming away. When there was no one presumably in sight, he snuck around back towards the chapel of the Opera House. It was the best entrance for him at the time, because walking through the front door wasn't Phantom-esque.

Neither was taking care of some stupid girl.

As Erik trudged inside, dragging the loads of bags behind him, he suddenly heard music echoing through the walls. Stopping, his eyes trailed up towards the ceiling, then the staircase. He realized that the music must be coming from the auditorium, and he immediately dropped everything he had been previously carrying. Slowly he made his way upward, using the many secret tunnels he had carved so many years ago, to enter Box 5.

Shrouded by darkness and shadow, Erik watched from afar as a man sat at the grand piano. With speed and obvious skill, the man crafted an improvised song that sounded as if it had been created long before the notes simply came to the man. Without even looking up, still focused on the keys, he spoke up;

"If you had wanted a response from me, Monsieur," The man said, "You would find that I'd much rather speak face to face. Although," The man slowly cocked his head up towards the box, "Getting you to come here was easier than I expected."

Erik raised an eyebrow, before crossing his arms.

"I can help you acquire what you need, but that requires me to hire workers. And workers going down into your home, well," The man sighed, "I know how much you love company." With a sarcastic tone, and a grin the man said the last line, before stopping his music.

"You do realize who I am, and I believe I am capable of doing whatever work is necessary on my own," Erik said, looking down at the man as if he were some sort of peasant. In this Opera House, he was, despite being a manager. Erik was king of the castle, or Opera House in this case, and everyone else, his loyal servants.

"Monsieur Erik," The man said, causing Erik to jump. Another person who knew his name?! Was his story really that famous? "If you told me your predicament, it'd be much easier for me to tell you whether or not you can do this on your own."

Erik pursed his lips as he thought. This man seemed different from previous managers, when they were alive and in Erik's time that is, and Erik could get a lot of help from him. But would he tell him about the girl? Most likely not.

"What is your name?" Erik finally spoke up.

"Nadir Affiches, although," Affiches said with a grin, "My mother's maiden name is Kahn."

* * *

I didn't remain on the bed as long as I thought, in fact, I only laid there for about ten seconds. In those ten seconds I was thinking to myself, and a certain thought crossed my mind.

If this was the phantom's home, and if it did have many different rooms and floors, like in the novel, then was this Erik's main bedroom? Was I not supposed to be sleeping in here? Did he only put me here for the time being? If so, would I have some sort of dungeon to be living in? And so, out of fear of Erik growing angry with me for sleeping in his bed, I quickly climbed off and winced as my foot hit the ground.

In my earlier adrenaline rush of escape, I had _completely_ forgotten about my hurt leg.

Grinding my teeth, I slowly brought myself down to floor and decided to crawl to a better spot. Maybe even a hiding spot since Erik would probably murder me when he returned. Looking around the room slowly, I decided that one of the best places to hide might be behind his organ. If I could fit. Looking down at the floor I huffed and started to crawl. As I neared the organ, I could hear the water as if something was pushing through it.

He was home.

The adrenaline suddenly kicked in again and I was crawling at super high speeds, darting towards the organ. Forcing myself to squeeze in tight, I found myself in one of the most uncomfortable positions of all time. The pain in my leg caused tears to roll down my cheeks, but I ignored it. Finally I heard the gate slowly creaking open, and the boat slowly floating in the water.

"Girl," I heard Erik call out, "Come, take these bags. I have much that needs to be carr-" His voice stopped abruptly, and I heard heavy breathing. The loud 'bang' of the boat slamming into the waters edge caused me to jump, but not scream. Heavy footsteps echoed on the stone, and I could hear him scuffing through the fallen papers, slamming books back down on the desk. "Girl, come out here at once!" Erik shouted and I heard his footsteps go further away.

'He must be looking at the bed,' I thought to myself.

"Where the devil is she?" Erik scowled, sounding as though he was baring his teeth. As his footsteps drew further away, he was probably going to see if I escaped, I heard him stop by the water. "There's water everywhere..." He mumbled, "Like a trail," My heart stopped as I heard him come closer to the organ, inspecting it most likely. I closed my eyes, praying he wouldn't notice me squished up back here, hiding from him.

_'Please don't let him find me, please don't let him find me, please-'_

With snake-like reactions, Erik's hand found the back of my head, twisting it's fingers into my hair and tugging me out of my hiding spot. I let out a pain filled cry as my leg got caught in between the wall and organ, but without caring he tugged me out harshly. With another painful yelp I found myself face to face with Erik, who had a sadistic smirk on his face. As if this were a game of Cat and Mouse, and he just won.

"Well, well, what have we _here_?" He half whispered, inspecting me and expecting me to answer it. Swallowing whatever bit of bravery I had left, I stared at him with wide eyes. Those eyes, that cold ice-blue with speck of gold lined up inside it, were threatening me. "Looks like you were trying to_ hide_ from me, isn't that right?" When I didn't answer right away, he tightened his grip in my hair making me gasp in pain. "Answer me!"

"Y-Yes..." I choked out, forcing myself to hold back the tears that were threatening to slip out.

"Yes, you were," Erik murmured dangerously low, and glared at me, as he stood up straight now, pulling me up with him and off my feet. I closed my eyes shut, grinding my teeth to try and ignore the pain. "I don't appreciate you making a mess of my home, and as much as I would love to punish you right now, I cannot. So, for now, you will clean up and then go to sleep. No questions asked, just do it. I have something to do myself and you will not bother me. Understood?"

"Y-Y...Y-Yes S-Sir..." I managed to sputter out, still managing to hold back my tears. With a grim smile he released me, watching me fall to the ground. Now he was towering over me, and with a half-hearted kick to my ribs, watched me grunt in pain.

"Get to work," He said, shutting the gate and closing it, before walking away. I refused to look up as he left, and when I could no longer hear his footsteps, realized that he had definitely gone to a different part of the lair. Finally, I found myself pulling myself up, and drawing my knees in. That's when I let everything spill out. It seemed like this was my life now; Living with a man who could hurt me any second, for any reason.

Was it really worth living, if you were the reason two people were killed, and now you were forced to live a life of servitude to a man who seemed insistent on just killing you?

I wanted to give up.

Seeing a piece of broken porcelain from the unfinished mask's I had smashed, I reached forward and gripped it in my hand. As steadily as I could, I drew it to my wrist and stared at the smooth pale skin on it. Carefully I placed the tip vertically on the tip near my hand, knowing a vertical cut would drain faster than horizontal. After crying for what felt like decades, staring at my wrist, I looked up at the ceiling, and dropped the piece of porcelain, before I hoarsely started to sing.

_S-Smile...though your heart is aching..._

_Smile...e-even though it's breaking..._

_When there a-are clouds..in the s-sky..._

_Y-You'll get by..._

_If you smile._

I stood up and sniffled, trying to calm myself down before I walked over to the mess I created. Looking at my ripped sleeve, I tore the rest of it off and rolled it off. Dunking it in the lake water, I looked at my reflection and saw the makeup that was running down my face, the frown sewn into my lips.

_If you smile..._

_With your fear and sorrow,_

_Smile and maybe tomorrow, _

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile..._

_If you just..._

_Light up your face with gladness..._

_Hide every trace of sadness..._

_Although a tear, may be ever so near._

_That's the time you must keep on trying,_

_Smile, what's the use of crying?_

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile..._

_if you just..._

Pulling the cloth out of the water, the ripples causing my reflection to dissipate, I pulled myself away from the water and wiped my tears again, forcing a smile on my face. Kneeling down to the mess of wax I created, I began scrubbing it away.

_Smile..._

_Though your heart is aching..._

_Smile, even though it's breaking..._

_When there are clouds in the sky..._

_You'll get by..._

_If you smile,_

_Through your fear and sorrow, _

_Smile, and maybe tomorrow,_

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile._

_If you just smile..._

As I finished cleaning off the wax, I began picking up every piece of paper, every book, cradling them in my arm before limping to the multiple desks and tables, setting them down.

_That's the time..._

_You must keep on trying,_

_Smile._

_What's the use of crying?_

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile..._

_if you just..._

_Smile..._

With a deep breathe, I finished cleaning up. It took nearly a half hour, but I managed to do it while injured. When I finished, I looked around and felt the exhaustion hit me like a train. Crawling towards the waters edge, I curled up in a ball carefully and decided to sleep.

* * *

Erik had been walking to his library, when he realized he had forgotten the items Affiches had given to him to borrow. Groaning inwardly he truned on his heel, making his way back to the entrance. As he was walking, he heard singing. Once again he was frozen, paralyzed by the beautiful voice that wove it's way through his ears, sounding like her.

It must be that damned girl.

Quietly, Erik made his ways towards the entrance of the lair, standing hidden in the shadows. He listened, as the girl struggled to sing at first, sniffling and hiccuping from crying so hard. As he looked out, he saw her limping towards the water, ripping her sleeve off, before dunking it in teh water. The lyrics she was singing were, on their own, happy. But the way she sung it, was so depressing it made him feel upset.

She once again limped over, but this time to the mess of wax she had created earlier, cleaning it up with the soaking wety cloth. As she cleaned, she ketp singing to herself, sure that no one was listening.

But Erik was.

He stood by and watched as she finished cleaning, before singing the last part to herself.

_That's the time..._

_You must keep on trying._

_Smile,_

_What's the use of crying?_

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile..._

_If you just..._

_Smile..._

The damned girl was still optimistic about this whole day?!

Erik stood by, baffled.

A yawn escape her lips as she finished and limping back towards the water, she slowly shrunk down, crawling and curling up on the ground, closing her eyes. It seemed she was going to sleep on the floor. That confused Erik, he was sure she would have used the bed. Suddenly scoffing, he rolled his eyes. Why should he care if she sleeps on the floor? After her little temper tantrum she deserved to.

But a knot was tying itself in his stomach, making him feel nauseous.

"Alright, fine!" He growled at it, slowly making his way towards the exhausted girl, "Girl!" She jumped up, obviously shocked and scared, whipping her body around to find him standing over her. Her grey eyes were wide and glassy, tired, and bloodshot. Yet the way he looked up at her was somewhat adorable, what with her wide eyes and all. Shaking his head of the thought, he looked down at her as menacingly as he could. "Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

"B-because..." She found herself replying, gulping quietly, although Erik could see her physically gulp.

"I was pretty sure there was a bed over there that was fine for sleeping, if not perfect for sleeping. What, are you used to more lavish beds? Because I can _assure you_ that cost a lot to make," Erik told her, sneering slightly. She shook her head, and looked over at the bed.

"W-Well...n-no. I mean, the b-bed is fine! It's just...yours," She finally managed to say, and he could tell she wanted to argue with him more, but obviously didn't want to make him angry. He could just see that fire inside her slowly going out, but not completely. Erik was literally putting out the girl's fire inside.

"No it isn't," He replied, making her just blink in confusion, "Now unless you want me to force you over there, get up and go sleep."

"Where do you sleep then?" She asked, looking up at him, now concerned. Trying to hide his irritation, (or wait, no he wasn't,) he sarcastically grinned at her.

"I don't."

"Why?"

"I never used to sleep much, and I _definitely_ won't be sleeping for a while now."

"But why?"

"_Don't ask me why!_ I am giving you a bed to sleep in, so sleep in it!" Erik snapped at her, causing her to flinch, expecting him to hit her. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before speaking again,"Just...get in the bed."

"You need a place to sleep, so I'll sleep here," The girl said, patting the floor, as if it were some sort of comfortable place, "I'm fine."

"I am giving you to the count of three to get in that bed," Erik scolded, now sounding like an adult speaking to some toddler who refused to do what they were told. "One," The girl still didn't move, only stared at him, "Two," Same as before, no reaction, "Three." When the girl didn't move he reached down for her. This got her to move, as she scoots backwards, trying to get away from him, expecting a beating.

Feeling guilty about scaring her to the point of her fearing constant injuries, Erik kept an emotionless mask on her face (No, not his real mask, metaphorically) and tried to convince her physically that he wasn't going to hurt her. The fact that he even cared how she felt or if she was comfortable boggled him, but his inner self was yelling at him to get her in that damned bed.

Finally, when the girl came to the edge of the water and stopped, not wanting to fall in, he was able to snatch her up and lift her up effortlessly, cradling her tightly, but hopefully not painfully. The girl froze as soon as he touched her, and squeezed her eyes shut, obviously expecting pain. Slowly she opened her eyes, and made the realization that he wasn't about to hurt her.

As he carried her towards the bed, he could see her expression from the corner of his eye. It seemed like she was contemplating whether or not to fight back or not, and was frozen, either out of shock, fear, or a combination of the two. Dropping her down on the bed, Erik stared at her, and she stared back at him, wide-eyed once more.

"Well, _sleep_," He instructed, suddenly harsh again, and she whipped herself down onto the mattress, closing her eyes as fast as she could. He knew that she would be fast asleep in no time, it was obvious she was exhausted. Her body was shutting down before his eyes and she actually relaxed, looking comfortable for the first time that day. With a barley audible sigh, Erik left, shutting the curtain.

* * *

_Halle found herself wandering in a stone labyrinth, lost and alone. Jon was gone, everyone else was gone, and she was here for a reason. Looking around timidly, she was careful about her surroundings as she struggled to find her way out. Just as she saw a light, she heard someone calling out for her._

_"Halle! Halle please help me!" _

_"Aleixa?" Halle called back, and turned around, running straight into the darkness. Just as she was running, she skidded to a halt as a white face popped into view, the golden eyes staring at her with hate._

_"You shouldn't have come back," The Phantom said in a voice full of malice, "It was a pointless effort, really," _

_"I-I don't understand," Halle said, and he laughed. Goosebumps formed on her arms and she shivered, a chill dancing up her spine._

_"You don't? Maybe _this_, will clear your mind," He said, throwing something at her. The objects dead weight knocked Halle onto her back on the cold ground, and Halle realized she was looking into a pair of lifeless grey eyes._

_"No!" Halle screamed at the top of her lungs, and thrashed to get the dead body off of her._

_"Halle! Halle!" The Phantom shouted at her, taunting her, and she screamed again, near tears. That's when his voice changed, becoming more urgent and yet so calming, "Halle please, wake up!"_

Shooting up in bed, Halle looked around to find herself in the hotel, sleeping in the bed opposite of Jon's. Jon was standing by the bed, a hand on each upper arm, shaking her gently.

"Halle, are you okay? You were screaming bloody murder," Jon whispered to her, and she took a wavering breathe as she started to cry again.

"I-I had a nightmare," She said, and Jon immediately pulled her into a warm hug. Halle cried harder as he rubbed her back to try and comfort her, but she wouldn't stop crying. "We shouldn't have left her there Jon! He killed her! I know it!"

"Halle, don't you dare speak like that! Aleixa is fine, I promise!" Jon said, and pulled Halle back to look at him, "We both know she's strong. She'll figure something out."

"What if she doesn't? Huh?" Halle snapped, looking at him, "What about _that_ Jon? Did you think of that?" To be honest, no, Jon hadn't thought about that, and he looked at Halle before changing the subject.

"Look, I don't want you to keep thinking about it, you really need to get some sleep okay?" Halle nodded and sniffed.

"Will..will you sleep with me?" She asked timidly, like a little kid and Jon smiled softly.

"Of course," Halle shifted over, letting him climb under the covers with her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. Resting her head on his chest, Halle closed her eyes to try and sleep. Jon, however, stared at the ceiling and thought. He thought long and hard about what Hale said, and realized he needed to come up with a plan.

And fast.

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism? **

**R/R Please!**

**Also, I don't own the song Smile. It belongs to the long gone Michael Jackson.**


	7. Sleepsong

**A/N Long time no chapter, am I right?**

**Soryr for the delay, I've been going through some bad times and just sat myself down today to put heat on my ankle and watch Phantom when I finally got the urge to finish typing and to update. You are welcome.**

**Honestly, after this month, all I want is to go back in time and have Erik sing to me and hold me and I would never let him go.**

**This last month has been HELL for me and I just want to turn into a masked homicidal maniac who sings and plays organ in the cellars of an Opera House, or get a certain Phantom to comfort me.  
**

**Unless one of you guys wants to do it for me, and get him here, then...I will become your slave. I will sell all my belonging's, move to wherever you live and become your slave.**

**But for realsies guys, Sorry about this, but I've just had a horrible past month and I just want to die...*sniff***

**...**

**Erik: Oh you are pathetic, honestly**

**Me: SHUT UP, YOU'RE FICTIONAL WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!**

**GrapeJuice101: I'm not sure yet, I could take a poll!**

**Andimpink: Damn straight!**

**AwesomeAnnie: Hehe thank you!**

**Kpw1998" No, she didn't cut herself. She was gonna but decided not to...Yay! I think?**

**Firerock876: Oh it is coming alright!**

**VestDragon: Aww why thank you! **

**SakuraNekoChan13: Ahhh thank you! I hate all the mistakes I make cause I type WAY too fast.**

**PhantomFan01: Aww thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Sleepsong**

* * *

Have you ever had a dream that was so horrible, so frightening, that you woke up in a cold sweat?

But when you do wake up, you can't even remember what the dream was?

To be honest, I was hoping that's what would happen.

I actually woke up to a sweet smell, something herbal and definitely refreshing. Waking up, was surprisingly painful and difficult, for many reasons. The first being my entire body was sore, and the second being I was completely drained of energy.

It felt like I had been sleeping for at least twenty-four hours.

Forcing myself to sit up, I felt the sheets in my hands and realized they were satin. As beautiful of a feeling as it was, it unnerved me even more. Because not only was everything that had previously happened not a nightmare, but it was the painful truth. I was condemned to a life of slavery and the obvious exit was death at the hands of the infamous Phantom.

You know, it was ironic.

I, a Phan, who adored Erik more than anything, was terrified of the real thing.

It was like a bitch slap from life.

And now that I thought about it, I didn't even try to fight it. Normally I would have stood my ground, fought back with all my might. And yet I stood by, cowering in fear and giving into him like I was weak. I didn't want to be weak, in fact, I knew I wasn't weak. My Dad had taught me to be a fighter no matter what, and what was I doing now? Giving up?

Like _hell_ I was.

"Today, you're gonna fight back," I whispered to myself, "You won't let him treat you like spit. You will show him you're not like Christine, gullible, scared, and wimpy. Be the girl your mother wanted you to be; Strong." With a nod, I continued to let the thoughts race through my head. How on earth was I going to fight back? He'd surely kill me if I even tried defying him.

"Or...you could be subtle. Just...be a teenage girl. A modern. _Teenage._ Girl." I smiled and nodded, snapping. It was perfect! "If it doesn't work...kill him with kindness."

I snorted, I was as good as dead in this situation.

Why am I in this situation?

It was either fate, a mistake, or a cruel trick life was playing on me.

Slowly, I got up and stretched, hearing a satisfying crack as my back stretched, and I smiled a little, yawning. As I stood, I winced, realizing that the adrenaline from yesterday caused me to completely forget about my injured ankle. It wasn't as bad as it had been before, but was still tender. I could walk, however. Running might become an issue.

Peeking my head out from the curtains, I looked left and then right, before realizing that the Phantom was sitting at his organ. Strange, wouldn't I have heard him playing it when I woke up? Well, no, for you see, he wasn't playing it at all. He just sat there, staring at the keys in confusion, mumbling to himself in a hushed whisper. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to go up, afraid that he might snap completely.

"Uh, sir," I finally spoke up. He jumped in shock, his hands slamming down on the organ keys creating a loud, jumbled sound as he snapped his head to look at me. His eyes were wild, tired, and crazier than before.

"What?" He growled, his voice sounding dry, and then suddenly stopped himself. He cleared his throat and then sat up straight, turning fully to face me. "I mean, you're awake."

"Yeah, I am." I said, and yawned. I immediately winced and tenderly rubbed my cheek, and as I did so, Erik slowly grew uncomfortable. "So um, when exactly are you going to punish me for trashing your place last night?" He looked up at me, with curious eyes, then something lit inside them as he remembered. "If you're gonna beat me or anything like that, just do it now instead of waiting. The early bird gets the worm," I said with a forced laugh, and rolled my eyes at my terrible joke.

"Oh yes, that," Erik mumbled, as if it was something he didn't want to remember, "I guess you can start your chores. Lucky for you, most of the stuff you would have been doing, you won't need to."

"And what does that mean?" I asked.

"Come, I'll show you," He said, and stood up, putting his gloved hand on the small of my back as he led me towards the curtain covered mirrors, "Each of these is it's own tunnel, leading to another section of my humble abode." He said the last part sarcastically, as if his home was more of some shed.

'Yeah, cause' building this entire place yourself isn't the slightest bit glamorous now is it?' I thought to myself, wanting to say it out loud, but I kept my mouth shut.

"You are allowed to go in the East, North and South," He instructed, then stopped, turning to me with that sudden danger in his eyes again. "But you are never, ever, to go in the West one."

"May I ask why?"

"You may," Erik replied with a curt nod, "It leads to my bedroom and to my study. Off. Limits. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir." I said with a mock salute, when I got a sudden feeling of Deja Vu. Shaking it off, I looked back up at him as he led me towards the East one.

"This one will lead you to the kitchen, the dining room, and laundry room," Erik said, and we stepped into the pitch black tunnel. I squinted, but to no avail, it was too damn dark.

"The fact that you can navigate through this darkness like it's no big deal is extraordinary," I said softly, frowning as I peered into the darkness to try and get a better look at where we were going. Erik chuckled, and mumbled something along the lines of 'When you live in it, you get used to it' and then clapped his hands. The candelabras, which had definitely been regular candles at the time, suddenly turned on. I was stunned, thinking it was one of his awesome magic tricks, when I realized they weren't flickering like a normal candle.

They were flickering like a fake candle, a bulb.

That's when I realized that he had replaced the real candles, with fake ones. Electrical ones. When the hell did Le Fantome learn electrical wiring?!

"Uh," I felt my jaw physically drop and I turned to look at Erik. The shadows casted by the candlelight made him look even more eerie, with that smug grin plastered on his face like a little boy who'd won a video game. "When?"

"While you were asleep," He said, suddenly shoving me to get me walking again. We suddenly came to a stop and I saw a door in the wall, one I normally would have missed if Erik hadn't stopped me. "Here is the kitchen," As he opened it, and we stepped inside, I found myself staring in awe once more. I had been expecting something 1800's elegant, but instead I was slammed in the face with a Victorian Era modeled modern kitchen.

Yeah, you heard me. Modern.

The counter tops were all a silver and black marble, with beautiful wooden cabinets above and below. A modern-day oven with a stove top, microwave, refrigerator, and blender all were sitting in their respected places. There were drawers filled with necessary cooking and baking items, and pots and pans of all shapes and sizes. I was floored.

And on the end of the counter closest to the fridge, was something I thought I would never see again.

The beautiful, magnificent, Keurig.

"Where, on earth, did you get this?" I asked, as I slowly wrapped my arms around it, hugging it, nuzzling my face against it, "_Hello beautiful_..."

"I see you know exactly what it is," Erik mumbled, obviously weirded out, but continued, "I found it."

"Where?" I raised an eyebrow at him expectantly, and he whistled, looking upward.

* * *

Affiches stood in his office, bags under his eyes, and an empty coffee cup in his hand.

After being stalked by paparazzi vultures and being interrogated by the police, not to mention meeting the Phantom of the Opera, he was exhausted.

And now someone had to go a take his damned Keurig machine.

Someone who wears a white mask, and plays an organ.

"Erik," He began to grind his teeth in irritation.

* * *

"Nowhere," Erik said, an evil grin creeping up his face. He suddenly grabbed my wrist and tugged me away from the beautiful, God-like, Keurig, leading me to even more modernized rooms. An extremely fancy dining room, with it's own (New) mini electrical "chandelier" and then the laundry room had a washing and drying machine.

"How _on earth_ did you do all this in twenty-four hours?" I asked, and that's when Erik snorted.

"Oh Please, I may be a genius, architect, magician, ventriloquist, artist, singer, writer, composer,-"

"I get it," I snapped, and he reached out, wrapping his hand around my throat with those snake-like reflexes, until I was choking out an apology.

"But I did not do this in only twenty-four hours! I spent most hours doing research, others gathering equipment with the help of the new manager, and then I filled my home with the modern day requirements," Erik said, releasing me before motioning to the room. I fell to the ground and nodded, but something didn't sit right with me.

"But..it's only been a day since I came here." I managed to cough out as I stood up.

"Three. It's been three days."

...

"_What?_" I nearly fell over again.

"You were asleep for three days, you were absolutely exhausted and believe it or not, I had the heart not the force you awake. I let you sleep through all of this," Erik scoffed, and brushed past me as he left the tunnel, exiting out into the entrance. I quickly hobbled after him, obviously wanting a further explanation.,

"So you're telling me, that I slept for that long?" I called after him, and Erik slowly stopped, turning on his heel.

"Yes. What is so hard to understand about that?"

"I never thought I would ever sleep for that long..." I mumbled, causing Erik to grunt in annoyance and grab my wrist again.

"Come," He said, before an unsettling grin grew on his lips, "It is time to see your punishment."

* * *

"Where are we going now?" The girl asked, her hands on her hips as they stopped at the library doorway. Erik knew that most teenagers no-a-days hated physical labor, and were constantly being lazy (Or at least, that was how it seemed from the so called 'shows' and 'magazines' Affiches had shown him. Erik had a thing for the moving picture box called TV) and knew this was the perfect punishment. Being surrounded by dust, dirt, and books.

"It's a surprise," He said, and opened it, letting the girl see for herself how dirty it really was. Her mouth opened as her jaw dropped, and she stepped inside. Closing his eyes, he waited to hear her complaints, just so he could punish her further.

"Oh my God, your library is freakin' amazing!" The girl squealed, hobbling inside as fast as she could to all the books thrown around the room. Running straight through a cobweb, she slid down and started picking up all the books, looking at them with wide eyes.

"I'm assuming you like reading," Erik grumbled, upset that his plan didn't work, " I hope you enjoy cleaning too," The girl's head snapped up and she looked over at him.

"Cleaning?" She suddenly looked around at all the dust and more sifting around. "I have to clean this whole place?"

"Yes," Erik grinned once again, "From head to toe. Every book should be organize and there should be no more dust. Got it? Good!" Without letting her respond he slammed the door shut and cackled to himself, walking away with pride to his organ. Now he could focus on his writing, and no longer be distracted by the thoughts of...

Her.

His body language changed as he began to think of Christine again. His beautiful Christine, who by now was probably rotting away in some grave, along with her foppish husband Raoul, her best friend Meg, and Antoinette. The only real friend Erik ever had, and she betrayed him! Rage swelled inside his chest as he thought of Madame Giry helping Raoul find his way down. How could she do that to him?

"This anger would make for a perfect composition," Erik growled, his fingers lingering over the organ keys, waiting for their master to have them create something wonderful. But nothing ever came. So once again Erik sat there, staring at the organ keys as thoughts raced through his head. He wasn't sure how long he stared at the keys, thinking to himself, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"I'm done," Whipping himself around, he found himself facing a very dusty looking girl, smiling at him and wiping her hands on her pants as if that would get the dust off.

"Impossible!" Erik scoffed, standing up and pushing her aside. He looked over at the clock (Also 'borrowed' from Affiches) he had recently installed and saw he had really been sitting in silence for an hour. Growing even angrier he stormed off to the library, leaving the girl behind him. Throwing the library door open, he was shocked and speechless to find it was in perfect shape. All the books were in order by genre and in alphabetical order, and there wasn't a single dust bunny to be found. "How in the hell did she do it?"

"Well, you see," Erik jumped and looked behind him, seeing the girl standing there, "If I had simply cleaned the whole place by hand it would have taken much, much longer. But, while looking around I found some things you had thrown in a closet. And I had to laugh, cause' they were cleaning supplies!" She walked over to a small table and lifted up a strangely shaped clear bottle wityh a blue liquid in it, some rags, and a weird looking device he had forgotten he bought. "That's how, plus, I like books. So organization wasn't an issue."

Erik clenched his fists in and out, the whites of his knuckles looking ready to break his skin as he grew more and more tense. What was _with_ this girl? The other day she was quiet enough aside from small outbursts, and now she was all smiles! Clenching his teeth, he slowly turned away and started to walk back.

"Wait, Sir," The girl called out in an overly sweet voice, one Erik knew was probably sarcastic, "Anything else ya' need me to do?"

"No," Erik snapped, "I have no other use for you as of right now."

"Ahh, okay," The girl said, and just when Erik thought she would shut-up she spoke again, "Do you have a bathroom?" Stopping in his tracks, Erik sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Had he made a mistake in letting her live?

"Yes," He finally replied, motioning with his hand for her to come closer, "Come. I'll show you."

"Okiedokie Loki," The girl said, before laughing, while Erik just rolled his eyes at her. He grabbed her wrist, not all that gently, and tugged her along the tunnels, through the entrance and behind the Swan Bed into the South tunnel, stopping in front of the bathroom.

"You'll probably be happy to know this has a _modern_ upgrade as well," Erik huffed, opening the door, "Your belonging's are by the bed." Shoving her into the bathroom, and then slamming the door, Erik wanted to punch something right there and then. This girl was getting on his nerves already, and technically, not counting the days she slept, it had only been twenty four hours! What happened to the quiet girl? Other than her out burst at him, she hadn't said a word! Well, she did sing...and her voice...it sounded so much like Christine's.

Erik sauntered out of the tunnel, looking out towards his organ, hoping that maybe something would take his mind off of both the girl and Christine. As he was walking, he felt himself slow down, and his body turned to face all the drawings hung up. Each held the face of a beautiful young soprano, and the youth she held with her.

Reaching out a hand, slowly, as if he were afraid these would run off too, he stroked the face of the large charcoal one. A tear rolled down his un-masked cheek as he stared into the lifeless portraits eyes. Sadness bubbled up within him and following it was anger. Why did she betray him during Don Juan? Why on earth did she choose that foolish Vicomte?

"He could offer her a normal life, not one in a dungeon of a home," Erik muttered breathlessly as he looked down, "Not a life of loveless marriage. Oh, Christine," He couldn't hold back the tears anymore, as they came pouring out of him. All the events replayed in his mind, of her betraying his trust, ripping off his mask to reveal to the world that he was nothing more than a monster that lived beneath the Opera House.

_Anywhere you go let me go too!_

_Christine;_

_That's all I ask of-_

He couldn't finish his declaration of love to her, because he found himself hearing horrified gasps and screams. Looking out into the audience, he saw their disgusted looks and horrified expression, and he knew exactly what was scaring them.

His horrid face.

The rage inside him suddenly burst as he tore every single drawing and painting down from the wall, clutching them tightly in his shaking hands, before grabbing his blank music sheets. Storming over to the lakes edge, he looked at the papers in his hands, tears streaming down his face.

"You took my heart and _ripped_ it from my chest, you took my love and smashed it to bits. It seems that you took my muse as well," He said between his bared teeth as he slowly raised the parchments, "And now my music and my life shall _die_ with you!" Just as he was about toss them into the water, destroy them the way he was destroyed, when he heard something.

Someone.

_Don't talk, to strangers._

He knew that voice alright, and knowing fully that it wasn't Christine, he couldn't help but be hypnotized by it. Dropping the papers gently to the dry ground, he turned on his heel and slowly made his way to the bathroom.

_Oh, in the strangest dreams, walking by your side._

_It is the hole that you impose upon your life._

_When you're out, loneliness, it crawls up in the ground._

_It's what you feel, but can't articulate out loud._

Erik couldn't help but feel intrigued by the song. It definitely wasn't Opera, and yet it was still so beautiful to him. The girl wasn't singing very high at all, but the song was so smooth it was stunning to listen to it. Carefully, he opened the door and peeked his head in. Immediately he was hit in the face by steam, but couldn't care.

_You go to sleep on your own and you,_

_Wake each day with your thoughts, and'_

_It scares you being alone,_

_It's a last resort._

_All you want is someone onto whom you can cling.  
_

_Your mother warned of strangers and the dangers that they bring._

_Your dreams and memories are blurring into one._

_The scenes which hold the waking world slowly come undone._

_You'll come undone.  
_

Erik stared at the closed curtain in wonder, lost in trance as he listened to the song. For a minute, he realized that his muse hadn't really left him, it was just lacking new inspiration. And it seems that life, or his new life, had dropped one right into his hands. A new voice he could play with, and use.

_Oh, You go to sleep on your own and you,_

_Wake each day with your thoughts and,_

_It scares you being alone,_

_It's a last resort.  
_

_You go to sleep on your own and you,_

_Wake each day with your thoughts and,_

_It scares you being alone,_

_It's a last resort._

_Oh._

_Don't talk to strangers,_

_And don't walk into danger.  
_

_Don't talk to strangers,_

_And don't walk into danger._

_You go to sleep on your own and you,  
_

_Wake each day with your thoughts and,_

_It scares you being alone,_

_It's a last resort._

_Don't talk to strangers._

_Oh, You go to sleep on your own, _

_And you,_

_Wake each day with your thoughts and,_

_It scares you being alone,_

_It's a last resort...  
_

Erik hadn't noticed the girl had shut the water off until her arm and hand came out from behind the curtain, reaching for the towel rack. His heart suddenly burst and he panicked, not wanting her to think he was some sort of perverted freak! Looking around he suddenly knocked the towel down so she wouldn't grab it, and opened the door before quickly shutting the door as quietly as he could.

Speed walking back to his organ, he sat down and stared straight into space, with his eyes still wide and his face red. What if he knew he was in there? How would he explain that to her? She'd panic, and then probably try to escape. But now that he knew he couldn't let her go, not just for his safety, but for her voice.

"How come _nothing_ can ever be simple for me?"

* * *

Halle sat at a table alone in the Hotel's mini banquet room, where breakfast was being served, sipping a small cup of coffee silently. Bags were prominent under her dark blue eyes, no makeup was on her face and her hair in the messiest of buns. Her eyes were staring off into space and she was so focused on her thoughts, she hadn't seen Jon sit down right in front of her.

"No breakfast?" He asked, trying to be playful, but Halle didn't laugh. In fact, she didn't even crack a smile.

"You know, she's gonna get herself killed," Halle said, and then laughed to herself, placing the coffee cup down, "She won't let him keep her there. She isn't like that, you and I know it. Eventually she'll grow tired of trying to escape and fight him off, and he'll tire of it too and he'll kill her."

"Halle, don't you dare talk like that," Jon snapped at her, grabbing her wrists just to get her to look up at him, "Aleixa is so much smarter than that and you damn well know it!"

"i don't know anything anymore Jon!" Halle shouted, and the people near them turned to look. Nervous, Jon hushed her and leaned in close enough so he could whisper.

"Look, I know everything seems dark now, but...I have this plan. And I need your help, alright? We're gonna get her back, I promise."

"And what is your plan?" Halle asked, skeptically. Jon looked around before quietly whispering his plan to her.

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism? R/R please!  
**

**P.S The song sung was Sleepsong by Bastille. Fantastic song btw.**


	8. Till I Hear You Sing

**A/N Hi guys, sorry it's been so long since I last updated. Between Prom, parties, friends graduating, Junior year BS, SAt'S and all that Jazz, I've been busy. So, I'm gonna skip anything formal, head straight to the thank you's and get on with it.  
**

**GrapeJuice101: I'm not sure if I want a love triangle or not. I could take a poll...**

**KPW1998: Haha cleaning is not fun in the slightest! And I am so lazy that those minor errors shall not be fixed. It's a sad world I live in hahah...ah...**

**Andimpink: Your saying made my life xD**

**MelodicCrescendo: Thank you! And kind of a mix between Ramin, Ben, and Gerry...if that makes sense haha**

**LittleLotte328: Thanks!**

**FireRock876: I do! I truly do! Or my brain does I'm not really sure...**

**PhantomFan01: WE all know Erik didn't think that through at all**

**Vesta Dragon: Haha aww thank you!**

**AwesomeAnnie:... *brohoof***

**SammiRichGurl: Thanks girlie!**

**Sakura-Neko-Chan:...Heheh I love Disney so ahh...yeah... *smiles like a crazy person***

**BlackStar778: Haha aw thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Till I Hear You Sing  
**

* * *

The burning hot water felt extremely relaxing, and I could feel my muscles slowly begin to unwind. It felts like days since I had taken a real nice, hot shower. I laughed, it actually _had_ been days since I'd last showered. As I washed my body with the soaps brought from my shower caddy, I ran my hands over the bruises on my body. My ankle didn't hurt as much anymore and I internally frowned. Erik was more violent than I had imagined, and it was all because of two things;

I helped break into his home and I happened to sound and look like Christine...from time to time.

"Maybe he'll cool down eventually," I mumbled to myself and continued washing myself. I slowly started to hum, and in the back of my mind I wondered if Erik would get mad hearing me sing? "Whatever," I huffed and started singing one of my favorite songs. By the end of the song I had finished washing and rinsing, and was ready to get out. Reaching out of the curtain, I felt around for the towel.

"Where is it?" I grumbled and opened the curtain, noticing it was on the floor. I could've sworn the door was shutting as I found it, but it must've been in my mind. I continued humming as I wrapped the towel around my body and opened the door. Peeking from left to right I rushed into the confined space of the Swan Bed and looked around. My suitcases were tossed to the side and I quickly opened it. I whipped out a pair of jeans and pulled them on, before pulling on an over-sized red sweater. I threw on my sneakers and pulled out my hairdryer, tossing it aside. I fumbled around through my duffel bag, looking for my comb when I felt paper.

"What the-" I stopped and pulled out whatever it was, and found myself holding a folder. Written on it in silver was 'Songs', and I opened it, flipping through. Song's from 'Phantom' and 'Les Mis' and 'Legally Blonde', and every musical I loved was in it. I smiled, I forgot I even brought it with me! I noticed a small sticky note sticking out of one page, and opened to it. Circled on top was 'Till I Hear You Sing', and I smirked. "I forgot, I like to try and sing hard songs in soprano," I laughed to myself, putting the folder aside and finally finding the comb in my bag.

I combed my hair through quickly, before turning on the hairdryer and flipping my head over, trying to dry the underside of my hair. While drying it, I couldn't help but start to hum stuff from 'Love Never Dies'. From 'Prologue' to 'Heaven By The Sea'. Of course, thinking of the plot made my eyes roll, and I flipped my hair back up,ruffling it as I dried it.

"I might not wanna let Erik find out about LND..." I murmured to myself, before I started to hum again. Once I had finished drying my hair, I put the hairdryer away and grabbed my sketchbook, and pencils, climbing up on the bed. "Sure, I could go see if Erik wants me but I'd rather draw." I ignored the little angel on my shoulder telling me I'd get punished and followed the devil, opening up to a new page to draw on and turning on my phone. I plugged in one headphone, just in case, and turned on my 'Favorite Songs' playlist. 'Till I Hear You Sing' came on, and I started to hum again. Just as I started to draw;

"Girl!" I stopped mid-sketch and slowly looked up, "Come, I need you."

"A _please_ would be nice," I grumbled and tossed my pencils behind me, slamming the sketchbook shut and placed my phone on top of the opened music folder. "Yes, Sir?" i asked in my kindest voice as I walked out into the lobby. Erik was entering from one of the tunnels and I stopped midway when I noticed him coming towards me.

"I have another task for you," He said, walking out and then past me, "I'm going to need you to make me some tea, I will be attempting to compose shortly, and the tea happens to be quite well when it comes to calming the nerves. Also," He stopped and looked at one of the desks by his organ, "I'm going to be needing more paper, which you can find in the library in one of the many cabinets. Which, I'm not sure, but you will find it I'm assure you."

"Alright sir," I said, and made my way towards the tunnels, and when I was out of Erik's ear, I mumbled, "_How the fuck do you make tea_?"

* * *

Erik watched as the girl slowly dissolved into the tunnel, before the lights turned on, and he turned back to his organ. Sitting at it, he stared at it the way Captain Ahab would at Moby Dick. With a stretch, he flexed his fingers and let them touch the keys lightly, and sat there, waiting once again for inspiration to just hit him again. Like it used to, back when...He shook his head. Wasn't he trying to _forget_ about _her_?

"What to do about the girl," He murmured, looking back at the tunnel. He couldn't help but admit he wanted to help her voice, to mend it and mold it into something he could claim his. He wanted to be the Angel of Music again, and hold the girl under his wing, let her voice soar. Despite the similarities between her and Christine, he could hear that her voice was truly hers, maybe just like Christine's.

Erik could feel himself growing frustrated, knowing that without a muse the music wouldn't come to him right away. Before he could slam his hands on the keys and make that obnoxious noise, he realized he heard singing. Someone was singing. He started to turn to the tunnel, but realized that it was a man singing. Confusion and suspicion filled him and he stood up straight, looking for the sound. His head turned to the curtains that covered the Swan bed, and he raised an eyebrow.

After he threw the curtains open, he spotted the small rectangular thing that was making music. Carefully, as if it would attack him, he picked ip up and dangled an ear-bud in his hand. Slowly he put it in and his eyes grew wide as he listened to the song. His head was filled with a song that he immediately connected with. His eyes fell on the sheet music laid out before him, and he read it over.

"It's as if this damn song knows how I feel," He grumbled and snatched it up, carrying both the musical player and sheet music over to the organ. His thumb pressed against the music player, causing it to light up, which scared him. He looked down, and saw there were two other button, and he carefully pressed the 'FWD' one. A song under the same title appeared, but this one labeled (Karaoke) at the end. He realized it was just music, and no vocals.

Erik stared at the music player, before pausing it and placing it down, and placing the sheet music in front of him. His ears easily picked up the music, and he found his chest swelling with the anticipation he got before he would play. The lyrics in front of him, he started to play along with the music player, and sang.

* * *

"Seriously, how the _fuck_ do you make tea?" I asked myself, looking around for any sort of tea K Cups for the damn Keurig. But no, apparently our genius Phantom didn't think to bu-steal- any. "So I have to make it by hand? Great." I put water in the tea pot, praying I was sort of right, and placed it on the stove, before throwing in a tea bag. I stood there, staring at it, and blinked a couple times. "Now I wait...I think..." I shrugged and jogged out into the hall, before walking to the library. I threw open the door and searched around, rummaging through all the cabinets until I found blank sheets, and tucked them under my arm.

"Hopefully Erik will let me do my own thing after this," I said to myself out loud, "Cause' all I want is to draw and listen to music." With a sigh I made my way back into the kitchen, just in time to hear the tea pot make that weird high-pitched whistling sound. Pouring the tea into a black coffee cup, I held the tea in one hand and sheets in the other. "Time to go please his majesty," I laughed.

As I started walking down the tunnel, I could hear a familiar tune playing. It echoed through the tunnel, sending chills dancing up and down my spine. With a shiver I thought about where I had heard the song before, and why it was so hauntingly beautiful too. I slowed my steps down when I could hear Erik singing, and realized this wasn't just any original composition. It wasn't an original composition at all. I was beguiled and started to run, nearly dropping the paper and spilling the tea.

_The day starts, the day ends_  
_ Time crawls by_  
_ Night steals in, pacing the floor_  
_ The moments creep,_  
_ Yet I can't bear to sleep_  
_ Till I hear you sing_

I found myself stopping in the entrance way, hiding in the shadows still, staring at the figure at the organ. Sure enough, Erik was playing 'Till I Hear You Sing' as it played on my phone, and he seemed so passionate. I could read every emotion on his face and even with his eyes closed I knew they had tears in them. His voice was more beautiful than anything I had ever heard, and I nearly dropped the cup in shock. Gathering the objects in my arms, I slowly made my way out and placed the sheet and cup on a small table. My legs shook like jello and I found myself sitting on the floor behind him to listen.

_ And weeks pass, and months pass_  
_ Seasons fly_  
_ Still you don't walk through the door_  
_ And in a haze_  
_ I count the silent days_  
_ Till I hear you sing once more._

_ And sometimes at night time_  
_ I dream that you are there_  
_ But wake holding nothing but the empty air_

_And years come, and years go_  
_ Time runs dry_  
_ Still I ache down to the core_  
_ My broken soul_  
_ Can't be alive and whole_  
_ Till I hear you sing once more_

_ And music, your music_  
_ It teases at my ear_  
_ I turn and it fades away and you're not here_

_ Let hopes pass, let dreams pass_  
_ Let them die_  
_ Without you, what are they for?_  
_ I'll always feel_  
_ No more than halfway real_  
_ Till I hear you sing once more_!

I wanted to scream, applaud, cry, do everything I could to let him know how beautiful that really was. Instead I wiped away the tear that managed to escape my eyes, and stood up shakily. Erik was breathing slowly, and I knew his emotions were taking over again. I opened my mouth to say something, but it felt so dry that nothing came out. Closing my eyes, actually squeezing them as tight as I could, I opened my mouth again.

_And music, your music_  
_ It teases at my ear_  
_ I turn and it fades away and you're not here_

Erik turned sharply to look at me, and I stopped singing again, waiting to see his response. Something told me to go closer, and before I realized it I was standing beside him. I watched his fingers start to play the notes again, and my quavering soprano struggled to find it's way out of my mouth. He opened his own mouth, and I immediately felt a connection entwine our voices together.

_Let hopes pass, let dreams pass_  
_ Let them die_  
_ Without you, what are they for?_  
_ I'll always feel_  
_ No more than halfway real_  
_ Till I hear you sing once more!_

We held the note as long as we could, and for a while I forgot I could breathe. As his note died down, I let my fade out, before it stopped completely, and we were left in silence again. The two of us stood there, breathing heavily, and he finally broke the silence between us, cutting through it like a knife in a fist fight.

"You will be my new pupil, whether you want to or not," He said quietly, and I could hear a soft rumble in his through as he spoke, like he was containing some emotion.

"I-I'd...be honored sir," I found myself saying, sounding a lot more excited than he did.

"Your voice is..good..." He seemed to choke on that word, like it wasn't the one he wanted, but continued, "Needs improvement, but I can work with it. From now on, I am-"

"My angel of music?" I asked, and his face immediately darkened.

"_No!_" He snapped, before slowly controlling himself again, "I mean- No. That name...is..._hers_..."

"My apologies sir," I apologized, and then a light bulb lit up over my head. "Oh! I have your sheet music and your tea." Our eyes trailed over to the stack of sheets and the now-probably-cool cup, and he nodded.

"Thank you. You may...retire of your duties if you wish," He said, and stood up, walking over to the cup, "I'll call you if I require you."

"Yes," I said, backing away slowly towards the Swan Bed, "Of course." I watched as he nodded, picking up the tea and taking a small sip, before his face contorted. Painfully swallowing, he looked down at the cup with disgust before placing it back down. As he looked back up at me with his face still filled with disgust, I darted into the curtains and onto the Swan Bed. "Now what?" I asked myself, looking around the room until my eyes landed on my sketchbook. "Oh yeah that's right," I remembered throwing my pencils earlier, so I climbed onto the floor and crawled around until I had all of them in my hand. Lastly, I picked up my old iPod (Since Erik still had my phone) and my beats.

"I need someplace open to go to draw, these curtains feel constricting." Hopping out of the room, I snuck my way over to the lake, further away from Erik and his organ. I finally was able to sit down and I opened up my book, placing it down in front of me. Looking around for inspiration, I spotted a dead rose that was placed a few feet away from me. "That'll do," I studied the flower some more, and started sketching.

I was so enveloped in my drawing that I had no idea how much time was passing. My music was turned up all the way, and my beats kept all noises from disrupting my music. One of my favorite songs came on and I couldn't help but to start singing along. In fact, I had no idea I was singing along.

_Some say love, it is a river _  
_That drowns the tender reed. _  
_Some say love, it is a razor _  
_That leaves your soul to bleed. _  
_Some say love, it is a hunger, _  
_An endless aching need. _  
_I say love, it is a flower, _  
_And you it's only seed. _

_It's the heart afraid of breaking _  
_That never learns to dance. _  
_It's the dream afraid of waking _  
_That never takes the chance. _  
_It's the one who won't be taken, _  
_Who cannot seem to give, _  
_And the soul afraid of dyin' _  
_That never learns to live. _

_When the night has been too lonely _  
_And the road has been to long, _  
_And you think that love is only _  
_For the lucky and the strong, _  
_Just remember in the winter _  
_Far beneath the bitter snows _  
_Lies the seed that with the sun's love _  
_In the spring becomes the rose._

My hand moved up, down, and all around the page, creating an extremely detailed picture of a rose. After a while my hand started to cramp, and I flexed my fingers a little. They were slightly sore and I put the pencil down, leaving the sketchbook open.

"I wish I had red colored pencils," With a tired sigh I reached over to take the rose, just so I could get a few more details in. Suddenly I felt a small prick on my finger and pulled it away quickly, letting the flower fall.

"Damn thorns," I muttered, looking at the bead of blood forming in the center of my finger. It trailed down and landed right in the center of the drawing, mixing in with the graphite and creating a small gradient of red to grey. I rolled my eyes, "The irony of it all..." I sucked on the finger until it stopped bleeding and looked out at the water some more. I yawned, I was still exhausted. Maybe from jet lag or maybe my body was settling in to everything that happened. "If I just close my eyes for a little bit I'll be refreshed..."

I curled up on the cold stone floor, the coolness feeling comfortable on my bruised face, and I closed my eyes.

* * *

Erik had no idea how much time was passing, he was so caught up in listening to the music on this modern device. Some of the music was loud and strange, others sounded futuristic. And a lot were...just different. But the one's that captivated his attention the most, were the one's about him. Yes, he found the music from that musical the girl had been talking about. Each song was something either he or the composers at the opera house had composed. His mind kept trailing back to the girl singing with him, and he couldn't remember a time he felt more complete. It felt as if Christine were back and singing along with him, like before.

"But it isn't her," Erik grumbled.

So, Erik finally found himself something to work off of. As he was writing down new music he could hear someone singing again, and realized it was the girl. He merely shook his head and listened intently at the song. Maybe they could work off of that one, or any song for that matter. Erik shrugged, he could just test her range and all that tomorrow. Tonight he would have to go and check on some person business.

After another hour of sitting there, composing, Erik realized the girl was still doing...whatever it was she was doing over by the water. Turning around, he saw that she was actually there. Standing up, he decided to make sure she wasn't trying to escape or had gone into the West Tunnel. Silently, he made his way around the corner, expecting to see the girl running away, before he nearly tripped over something. On the floor was the girl, and it seemed she was sleeping.

"What on earth are you doing, girl?" He asked, and she grumbled out loud in a sleepy voice, before curling up more. "Is it just you or every teenage female that falls asleep in random places? If so, you're quite idiosyncratic." Erik rolled his eyes, and was about to turn and leave her there. But then again...He turned around and looked at her again, before huffing. "I'll be a gentleman this once..." With a grunt he kneeled down and picked her up, before heading towards the bed. "If this becomes a daily thing I won't be pleased."

"I'm sorry I'll be more quiet next time I swear," She apologized in that raspy, sleepy voice, and Erik just chuckled. He got into the room and put the girl on the bed, watching her curl up again. She looked like Christine the way she was laying there. Erik felt his hand twitching, and before he knew it, was reaching out to stroke her hair. Before he could, he stopped himself and turned to walk out. He slowed to a halt, his hand still on the curtains, and looked over his shoulder at her.

"What is your name?" He asked softly, and watched her as she mumbled something quietly, making it incoherent. With a sigh he turned to walk out again, shaking his head.

"Aleixa," Erik jumped a little and looked back at the girl, "It's Aleixa..."

"Aleixa..." He repeated, before smiling softly, "Maybe I'll have the decency to use it..."

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Criticism? R/R Please!**

**Also I feel so bad for taking forever to update so I'm going to give you guys a preposition...**

**I will sing a Phantom song for you and upload it on the interwebs for ya'll to see as an apology gift...**

**Lemme know what you think**


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